By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

I found an article in a 1973 New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung newspaper without an author credited. I think it needs to be rerun. First, because it discusses the kinds of sausage being made and available locally in New Braunfels. Second, it records older recipes from long-time citizens. For all the new and newer folks in town, think of it as a crash course in sausage.

Once an uninitiated buys New Braunfels sausages, he or she may not be quite sure what to do with it. Here are some tips from New Braunfels natives.

Blutwurst (Blood Sausage) — To eat cold, simply slice to serve in a sandwich or on a snack plate. To heat, slice ¼-inch thick and brown in a little fat. Serve as a breakfast meat with eggs or with homemade molasses and bread.

Bratwurst (Sausage to Fry) — To steam, place whole Bratwurst in heavy skillet with about ½-inch of water and simmer covered about 20 minutes. To fry, cut in 3-inch lengths, split lengthwise, and place skin-side down in a heavy skillet without fat. Brown and turn. To bake, place whole sausage in open bakeware dish and cook at 350° to 375°F for about 30 minutes. Add 15 minutes to time if you wrap tightly in foil.

Mettwurst (Dried Sausage) — To serve hot, slice thin or dice and scramble with eggs. To serve cold (needs no cooking), slice in bite-size pieces for snacks, slice thin for sandwiches. Peeling of the casing is optional. The way to test a well-dried sausage is by the ease with which the casing comes off in a thin layer.

Leberwurst (Liver Sausage) — New Braunfels-made Leberwurst is entirely meat and spices … no cereal or other additives. Served as it is in snack bites or sliced for sandwiches.

Schwartenmagen & Sulze — (The bits of meat cooked off the bones after meat has been cut off for sausage grinding. For Schwartenmagen, the meat is packed into a large casing. For Sulze, it is combined with broth flavored with vinegar and molded in loaf pans.) Schwartenmagen and Sulze are sliced to eat as they are or in a sandwich. One local custom is to serve the Schwartenmagen topped with fresh onion rings, the whole sprinkled with vinegar.

Pannas (Known as scrapple in some areas.) — (Broth from cooking meat for making various sausages along with remaining scraps of meat, is thickened with white or yellow cornmeal and spices. It is then molded and chilled in loaf pans.) Slice about ⅓-inch thick when chilled and dust lightly with flour. Fry immediately. Served as an accompaniment to eggs or with homemade molasses or pancake syrup. Has the flavor of sausage.

Remember when you ask for “fresh” sausage in a local market, you will get raw sausage that needs to be cooked. Of those mentioned above, only Bratwurst is raw. And there are other variations of New Braunfels ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook Wurst sold in local markets.

For local sausage to use in casserole dishes, only the bulk fresh sausage is available in a pork-beef combination and well spiced. Pork links also are made in New Braunfels.

Sausage, Apple, Cabbage Casserole — Brown in patties one pound of sausage meat and drain well. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. In 2-quart casserole, place one-half of ½ pound of shredded cabbage, all of the sausage cut in bite size, and one can (1-pound, 4-ounce size) of apples, undrained. Top with rest of shredded cabbage.

Combine in small saucepan ⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup water. Bring to boil, stirring. Pour over mixture in casserole. Bake covered 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is just tender. Serve with caraway buttered noodles. Serves four.

Sausage Cake (spice cake) — Mix 1 pound of uncooked sausage meat with 3 cups of brown sugar, firmly packed. Add one egg, beaten. Sift together 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 3-¼ cups sifted flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt.

Use small amount of sifted dry ingredients to dredge one cup coarsely chopped pecans and ½ cup chopped raisins or dates and add to sausage mixture. Add remaining dry ingredients to sausage mixture alternately with one cup strong black coffee. Pour into greased tube pan and bake at 350°F for 1-½ hours.

I really really want to try the sausage cake.

If you want more old local recipes using sausage, come by the Sophienburg at 401 W. Coll St. and purchase a copy of Guten Appetit!. First printed in 1978, this cookbook was the Sophienburg’s way of preserving some of the old, passed-down recipes of New Braunfels families. Guten Appetit! was a phrase frequently used at the table in homes of early New Braunfels to wish all a good appetite or a hope that the food would taste good to them. It was also used as a table grace if no other was used.

Sources: New Braunfels Herald and Zeitung newspaper collection, Sophienburg Museum & Archives.

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.