Grønlangkål med hamburgerryg

The story

Grønlangkål is finely chopped kale cooked in cream or a white sauce, and in Denmark it belongs to the season of julefrokost, the long Christmas lunches of December, and to New Year's Eve dinner. The Danish recipe site Valdemarsro notes that the dish has been known in Danish kitchens since the Middle Ages. Its usual partner is hamburgerryg, a cured and lightly smoked boneless pork loin that is simmered whole and sliced, or a glazed ham.

Few Danish dishes vary as much from region to region. In Vendsyssel, in North Jutland, the kale is cooked in leftover soup, shaped into balls, then sliced and stewed in butter and cream. In Southern Jutland it is mixed with mashed boiled potatoes and served with kålpølser, cabbage sausages, and strong mustard. On Lolland it is boiled in the broth from salt pork, wrung dry, chopped and warmed with butter and milk, then served with cinnamon sugar. South Funen calls it højkål, and on the island of Fanø it is storkål, cooked with potatoes, finished with bacon and cream, and eaten with hamburgerryg or Fanø sausages.

For a winter supper, simmer the pork while the kale cooks and set out boiled potatoes and mustard. The kale reheats well, so a double batch covers a second meal.