Veganes "Schmalz" (vegan dripping-style spread)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Schmalz
- 400 g onion, thinly sliced rounded
- 200 g apple, peeled, diced rounded
- 30 ml neutral oil rounded
- 150 g coconut fat, solid at room temperature rounded
- 3 g ground allspice rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly ground black pepper rounded
Method
Method
- Heat the oil in a pot over low heat. Add the onions and apple and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, for 75 to 90 minutes, until deeply browned and collapsed into a jammy mass with no distinct pieces remaining.
- Melt the coconut fat gently. Blend the warm onion-apple mixture with the melted coconut fat, allspice, salt and pepper until mostly smooth, leaving a little texture.
- Pour into a small jar or dish and let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 3 hours, until firm.
Notes
- Cook the onions and apple low and slow for the full time. Real Schmalz develops its savoury depth from meat rendered for hours; only an equally long, gentle cook on the vegetables gets anywhere close to that depth, and rushing it at higher heat just gives sharp, undercooked onion flavour.
- Blend the coconut fat in while everything is still warm. Cold, solid coconut fat blended with room-temperature vegetables doesn’t emulsify smoothly; warmth from both sides lets them combine properly before the fat resolidifies.
- Let it set fully in the fridge before using. It needs the full chilling time to firm up into a spreadable, sliceable block rather than staying soft.
- It keeps for a week in the fridge.
Ingredient substitutions
- Coconut fat is what gives this its firm, spreadable set at fridge temperature; a liquid oil won’t solidify the same way.
- A bay leaf simmered with the onions, removed before blending, adds a traditional herbal note.
- Serve on dark rye bread, the traditional German way to eat Schmalz.