Dish of Rat Tails
(click to enlarge)

Rat Tails


Germany, Lower Saxony, Hamelin   -   Rattenschwänze
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/2#
****
5 hrs
Yes		 This dish is from the town of Hamelin, of Pied Piper fame, and served by restaurants with names like Rattenfängerhaus ("Rat Catcher's House"). See also Comments.

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Pork loin (1)
Brown Gravy (2)
Onion
-- Mélange
Tomatoes
Bell Pepper. red
Olives (3)
Mushrooms (4)
cob Baby Corn
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Butter or Lard (5)
Calvados (6)
Butter (more)
Wine, German white  
Wine, red
-- Seasonings
Mustard (7)
Tomato Paste
Worcestershire
Tabasco
Salt
Pepper
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Cream, heavy
Port
-- Garnish
White Onion Dice

This is a complex recipe, but dividing it up into separate chunks makes it quite doable. It can even be spread over 2 or 3 days, and the final cooking is short.

Do-Ahead   -   (35 min)
  1. Make BROWN GRAVY if you don't have it on hand. It can be made in various ways, see Brown Gravy.
Rat Tails   -   (3-1/4 hrs - 45 min work)
  1. Trim the large central muscle from a Pork Loin Roast and put it in the freezer compartment until stiffened, so it can be sliced precisely - (2-1/2 hrs or so). You want to get it too hard to slice on the outside, then give it a little time on the cutting board until it is sliceable, otherwise the core will still be too soft.
  2. Slice PORK about 1/4 inch thick, with the grain. Again, with the grain, cut the slices into "Rat Tails", narrow strips tapering to a point. They should be 5 to 6 inches long. You can wrap them in plastic and hold overnight in the fridge, or, if you need more time, you can freeze them.
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Cut ONIONS into quarters lengthwise and cut fairly thin crosswise.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Chop to about 1/4 inch.
  3. Blast BELL PEPPER black with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skins under running water. Cut into 1/4 inch wide strips.
  4. Slice OLIVES crosswise about 1/4 inch thick. Stem MUSHROOMS and cut in half if large, then cut at right angles about 1/4 inch thick. Slice BABY CORNS crosswise to about 1/2 inch lengths.
  5. Mix all Mélange items.
  6. Mix all Seasonings items.
Rat Tails:   -   (25 to 45 minutes - Read Frying Rat Tails)
  1. In a skillet, Heat 1/4 cup Butter or Lard and fry Rat Tails, stirring gently over moderate heat until lightly browned. Flambé with the Calvados and set aside.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. In a coverable sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup Butter and fry the Onions until translucent.
  2. Add White Wine and Red Wine. Simmer down to about 1/3 the depth.
  3. Stir in Mélange mix. Cover and set to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. Slowly stir in the Brown Gravy, then the Seasonings mix stirring until well incorporated.
  5. Stir in the Heavy Cream and Port. Don't bring quite to a boil.
  6. Gently stir in the Rat Tails until thoroughly heated. Keep warm for about 15 minutes to let flavors blend.
  7. Serve with steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Pork Loin:

      This weight is from the big central muscle of a Pork Loin Roast, which will be sufficiently uniform to cut with the grain into the desired shapes. A 3-1/2 pound roast should be sufficient. See also Roast.

  2. Brown Gravy

      Traditionally, Brown Gravy is made from "drippings" from a beef roast - but we aren't doing beef roasts much these days, so alternatives have been created. Our recipe Brown Gravy is such a recipe, and quick to make.

  3. Olives:

      These should be Spanish pimiento stuffed Olives.

  4. Mushrooms:

      Regular white "button" mushrooms are called for. Criminis will also be fine.

  5. Butter / Lard:

      The pattern recipe specified Butter for frying the Rat Tails, and that's what I used, but Lard would be quicker (higher temperature) and perhaps more traditional. Lard has a better health profile than butter, so don't fear it. Offcuts from the Roast will provide the lard. For details see our Lard page.

  6. Calvados:

      This is an Apple or Pear brandy made in the Calvados region of France. It can be hard to find, so if you don't have it, use some other brandy. Stand back when you light it off.

  7. Mustard:

      the pattern recipe calls for "mild German mustard". My German mustard was not mild, so I used Dijon.

  8. Frying Rat Tails:

    This can take from 25 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the size of you skillet (how many Rat Tails you can stretch out in it at once), how fussy you are about your Rat Tails being straight, and if you fry in Butter or Lard. I did the frying in Butter, in a small 10 inch skillet, in 5 batches in 45 minutes, being quite fussy about straightness. They all go back into the pan at once, with the heat turned high, for the Flambé. Don't overdo the browning or they will be rather stiff. This can be another break point.

  9. Roast:

      The big central muscle of a Pork Loin Roast is surrounded by a lot of fat and narrow pieces of meat. Once you have trimmed away all that stuff and placed the central muscle in the freeze to stiffen, deal with the offcuts. Offcuts that are clear fat go into a fry pan with a little water to be rendered into useful Lard and Cracklings (see our Lard page). Significant pieces of meat can be recovered, sufficient for soup or stir fry. Tiny scraps and scraps that are mixed meat and fat all go into a pot to be simmered into soup stock. There should be no waste.

  10. Comments:

      From its diverse ingredients and methods, this recipe clearly belongs to the "New German Cuisine", initiated by young chefs who were scattered around in the post war period, learning other cuisines. The diced White Onion was just garnish for the photo, but got tossed in with the Rat Tails when they were rewarmed for my supper. Now, I wouldn't serve this dish without them! I don't claim this exact recipe is served by any specific restaurant, and having seen no photos, I can't even say if it looks the same as in Hamelin.
  11. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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