This is a delicious stew made from humble ingredients. It takes a while to come together, so make it on a weekend or day off. You can also make it in stages and refrigerate the components as you go. The finished stew keeps for a week in the fridge and freezes well.
1poundlamb or deer tongues(see below for alternates)
2lamb or deer shanks
2pig's trotters
Salt
1/2cupdry green peas
1rutabaga,peeled and cut into chunks
1/2poundbarley
2leeks,white and light green parts, sliced thin
2stalkscelery,chopped
1/2cupchopped parsley
Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Put all the meats in a large pot, bring this to a boil and let it cook for a minute or two. Pour off the water and discard, rinse the meats under cole water and clean the pot. This process "cleans" the meats and will limit the froth that forms on the actual broth.
Put the meats back in the pot and cover with water by about 2 or 3 inches. Bring to a simmer and skim any froth. Pour in the dry green peas. Add a tablespoon or two of salt and let this simmer gently until everything is really tender, which will be about 3 to 4 hours.
Remove all the meats carefully. Let them cool on a baking sheet for a bit. If you are using tongues, you will need to peel the skin off them while they're still warm. If you have trouble, use a paring knife. Discard all the bones from the trotters (there are many) and the shanks. Roughly shred the shank meat and finely mince the various bits of trotter. Cut the tongues into chunks.
Put all this back in the pot and add the barley, rutabaga, leeks and celery. Let all this simmer until the barley and rutabaga are tender, about 40 minutes. Adjust the seasonings with salt and black pepper and add the parsley. Serve with bread and beer.
Notes
The stew thickens over time. You might want to reheat it with a bit of broth or water to thin it out. It will also completely set up in the fridge because of the gelatin. Fear not. It liquifies on the stovetop. If you lack or don't want to source trotters and tongues, use shoulder or more shanks. I'd also recommend adding a teaspoon or two of gelatin, mixed first with some of the cooking water, into the pot. If it pleases you, add 1 or 2 chopped carrots. One nice, but not traditional, addition, is to "German" this up with some sour cream and sauerkraut. Add it to taste in your bowl.