Goose legs and curly kale

2 left legs coming from market


Saturday morning and a heavy head, the evening before had been the AGM and a few of us had then gone to the wonderful traditional Christmas market around the old church in the centre of town. It has only about 25 stalls in all, 10 of these selling Glühwein, 5, selling bratwurst and the rest including the inner of the church selling cards, tree decorations and a myriad of festive decorations, knitwear and Weihnachtgebäck (Christmas biscuits), all in a good cause and going to third world projects. Oh the reason for the heavy head was that we had to stop and try a cup of Glühwein at each stall.

But never mind the head I was up and about at 06:30 had a pot of coffee, put some washing in the machine and was out at the market for 08:00. I went to the poultry lady and saw she had goose legs (poor lass) I said I’ll take a pair off you, she said you jolly well will not, I need them to stand on for the rest of the day, but pop around tonight and you can give them a rub. Who said the Germans have no sense of humour “lol” ahem or do you think she was being serious and I missed a trick !!!!

Anyway goose legs purchased, next to my pork butchers (he didn’t look any better than I felt , we had been drinking together the night prior, I got some air dried ham, some cooked roast beef and a couple of Mettendchen, these dried cured sausages peculiar to NRW, are great to have in the house as not only are they good as a snack, but can be a wonderful addition to soups, stews and Eintopfen.

Next to the egg lady (she really sells potatoes, so should be called the potato lady that also sells eggs)

And then to the fish lady to buy a plaice (yours or mine), the plaice are rubbish at the moment, cannot wait until May so I can get out and get the real plump Maischollen from the Baltic

Then I popped into the bakers to get myself a pot of coffee and a roll for breakfast. Then off home by the long way home as I needed a bit of fresh air to blow the cobwebs away.

2 fresh free range goose legs
1 shallot
1  onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of root vegetables (Suppengrün)
100g of chopped speck (or bacon or Lardoons)
½ ltr of chicken stock
½ ltr vegetable stock

Pricked the legs all over on the skin side and rubbed with salt and pepper, put on a bed of root vegetables, a chopped shallot covered with chicken stock , put into the oven at about 200-210°C for 30 minutes to crisp the skin.

In the mean time the washed curly kale, add to the speck and chopped onion in a large frying pan sweated in a little goose fat and put into the Slow Cooker.

Next removed the legs from the oven, set to one side and then poured the root veg and stock over the kale, mixing well, placed the legs on top set the timer for 4 hours on low and went out to the pub for a couple of pints.

On returning peeled a few spuds and a couple of carrots, into boiling water and served with a gravy made from the kale stock.

A smashing winters meal and I have enough for tomorrow evening and a portion of kale with one of those Mettendchen chopped up for lunch.