Most of the time I reach for a nice bottle of wine when I sit down at the table to eat. I find wine the best accompaniment to food – its acidity, vinosity, complex flavour and alcoholic warmth the perfect foil for a vast array of different dishes. But sometimes, with certain kinds of foods, no wine can come close to matching the deliciousness of beer. This is one of those occasions. Weisswurst, or white sausage, with its soft texture and delicate flavours, could have been designed specifically to accompany wheat beer, especially if you add hot, salty or sour condiments. Wheat beer, as the name suggests, is brewed with wheat, as opposed to the malted barley used for most other beers. This gives a lighter perfume, a cloudy dryness and often a slightly sour finish to the brew. White snag, white beer. You know it makes sense.
Wine is fine but sometimes beer is better – for example, when it comes to pairing with a deluxe take on the hotdog.
Ingredients
Beer-braised onions
Soused cabbage
Method
Main
1.For beer-braised onions, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent (7-10 minutes). Add beer and sugar, stirring until liquid has evaporated (2-3 minutes). Keep hot.
2.For soused cabbage, place cabbage in a non-reactive bowl and set aside. Bring vinegar, currants, sugar and mixed spice to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar (3-5 minutes). Pour over cabbage, stir to combine, season generously to taste and set aside until pickled (3-5 minutes). Pour off and discard excess liquid before serving.
3.Meanwhile, heat a char-grill on high heat. Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through (5-7 minutes). Divide sausages, beer-braised onions and soused cabbage among rolls and serve with mustard.
Note Weisswurst is a Bavarian veal and pork sausage, available from select butchers and delicatessens. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
