Celebrate the holidays with a festive feast that's rich in flavor but won't leave you overstuffed. This beer-braised goose legs recipe, paired with tangy red cabbage and fluffy dumplings, draws on traditional techniques for tender, mouthwatering results.
Ingredients
Main course for 4 people
Preparation time: 1 hour
Marinating time: 12 hours
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
- 4 goose legs
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 allspice berries
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 500 ml malt beer
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- 350 ml poultry stock
For the red cabbage
- 750 g red cabbage
- 1 onion
- 2 tart apples
- 50 g butter
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3-4 tbsp vinegar
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 100 ml red wine
- 2 tbsp red currant jelly (from organic store)
For the dumplings
- 300-350 ml milk
- 8 stale rolls
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- breadcrumbs, as needed
- Additionally needed: oven-safe casserole
Instructions
- Pat the goose legs dry. In a bowl, stir honey and spices into the beer. Add the legs and marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning once midway.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Remove legs from marinade and pat dry. Heat oil in a frying pan and sear legs on all sides. Coarsely chop shallot and garlic; add and fry briefly. Pour in stock and marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and braise in oven for 1.5-2 hours.
- Meanwhile, for red cabbage: Shred cabbage, discarding tough leaves. Chop onion. Peel apples, quarter, core, and dice. Melt butter in a pan, add sugar, and caramelize. Stir in onion, apples, and cabbage. Add vinegar, cloves, bay leaf, and salt. Pour in wine and 250 ml water. Simmer covered over medium heat for 45 minutes. Stir in red currant jelly.
- For dumplings: Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Heat milk in a saucepan. Slice rolls thinly and place on a platter. Season generously with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Pour hot milk over bread slices and let soak. Chop onion; sauté in butter with parsley. Mix into soaked bread with eggs, kneading into dough. Add breadcrumbs if needed. Form 8 balls and poach in simmering water for 10-15 minutes until they float.
- Remove goose legs from pan; strain braising liquid into another pan. Skim fat; reduce or thicken with cornstarch if needed. Season to taste. Plate red cabbage, dumplings, and goose legs; drizzle with gravy. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
Enjoy your meal!
Recipe and image: BeeldigBeeld/StockFood
