**Erbswurst**
Erbswurst was a 19th century ration that was used by first Prussian and later in WWI Germany military. It is a sausage made from lard, dried bacon and pea flour that could be eaten as is or rehydrated in a mess tin into a
thick soup.
There are three basic ingredients and seasonings:
smoked bacon 12 ounces
Hard fat (lard) 9 ounces
Pea flour 14 ounces
Salt. 3 tsp
Pepper. 1 tsp
Marjoram. 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg. 1/4 tsp
Thyme. 1/4 tsp
Onion. 1/2 onion
Dice the smoked bacon into 1/4″ cubes. Fry both bacon and fat on a low heat (don't burn) until golden brown, stirring often. Lightly brown the finely chopped onion in some of the fat. Heat up a pot on a low fire and start adding the pea flour to the onions (and fat) stirring continuously. Add all the salt, pepper , and spices, whilst stirring. Add in the bacon and fat and stir well together.
May be put into casings or formed into bars/balls and stored in airtight containers or vacuum sealed bags.
You can make biscuits in your oven or in your Dutch oven or a skillet on the trail. Though ingredients such as buttermilk make them fluffier and more delicious, you can make biscuits with much simpler ingredients. These are heavier, but still soft and go great with gravy.
This is a stick-to-your-ribs food that will help stretch rations or fill bellies. The egg and lard is optional, but if you’re not using lard, substitute the baking powder for a couple of teaspoons of baking soda.
INGREDIANTS:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 egg (optional if available)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter or lard
- 1 – 11/2 cups milk
Preheat oven to 370 degrees F. or stoke your coals so that they’re hot enough to cook in.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl, then cut the cold butter or lard (bacon grease actually makes them delicious, but heavy) into the flour mixture until you have pea-sized pieces. Add milk until dough is barely sticky. Don’t overmix or your biscuits will be tough.
Drop about 1/4 cup at a time into a greased pan or Dutch oven.
Cook for 20 minutes or so until biscuits are brown. If using a Dutch oven, put the biscuits in, then put the lid on the oven and bury in the coals for 15-20 minutes.