Utopenci
Pickled sausages
Utopenci: Czech pickled sausages with onion, chilli and vinegar, a pub snack
Utopenci means "drowned men": fat pork sausages slit open, stuffed with onion and sunk in a jar of spiced vinegar brine, and they sit in big jars on the bar of almost every Bohemian pivnice, fished out with a fork and eaten with dark bread. The usual sausage is the špekáček, a short, plump pork-and-beef sausage with visible fat. After a few days in the brine they are sharp, garlicky and juicy, with sweet, soft onion and a slow chilli heat. Where most people go wrong is using raw sausages or skipping the cooking: heat the sausages through to 71 °C in the centre first, cool them quickly, and keep the jar in the fridge the whole time, not on the counter. Eat within 10 days, using a clean fork. Chef's tip: let them pickle for at least 3 days; on day one they just taste of vinegar.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the sausages
- 3 onionssliced into thin rings
- 2 small red chillieshalved
- 2 cloves garlicsliced
For the brine
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ¾ cup spirit vinegar (8%)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring the 1 ¾ cups water, ¾ cup spirit vinegar (8%), 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 6 allspice berries, 10 black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp mustard seeds to the boil, simmer for 3 minutes, then cool quickly in a cold-water bath and chill.
5 minStep 2: Peel the 6 špekáčky or other thick cooked pork sausages, gluten-free if needed if they have inedible casings. Simmer them in water over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, until the centre reads 160°F on a probe.
10 minStep 3: Cool the sausages in cold water for 5 minutes, then slit each lengthways along one side, leaving the ends and back intact.
6 minStep 4: Stuff each slit with a few rings of the 3 onions.
4 minStep 5: Layer the sausages in a clean 1.5 litre jar with the remaining onion, the 2 small red chillies and 2 cloves garlic.
3 minStep 6: Pour over the cold brine to cover completely, close the lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days. Keep refrigerated at all times and eat within 10 days.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does utopenci take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese
Masala khakhraCrisp roasted wheat crackers
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Indian
MathiaMoong and urad dal wafers
Mathia are thin, crisp, slightly sweet and peppery wafers made from mathia flour, a mix of ground husked moong and urad dal. They are a classic Gujarati Diwali snack. The dough is pounded until pale, rolled very thin between plastic sheets and fried one at a time. They are fragile, so store them gently. To make mathia flour, finely grind 4 parts husked green gram lentils with 1 part husked black gram lentils.