ISO German Recipes

SilverSage

Resident Crone
I've got a jones on for some good German food. We've tried the 3 places within 30 miles of here, and it's not good....:yuk: :sad:

The only thing I've ever made is German Potato Salad.

Who's got some good recipes for schnitzels, red cabbage, potato pancakes, spatzle, etc?
 
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Leni

New member
I'll dig out the family cookbook for you SS. My grandmother came to this country from Germany between the wars. I also have some German cookbooks. I can give you the recipe for rolladen off the top of my head. Never measured the ingredients. Now how do I describe the meat? Humm. I buy it at the German market. Not sure what part of the cow is used but it is a thin rectangular slice of meat. I'll look it up.

1 slice of meat per person
enough bacon to cover the slice of meat
chopped onion to taste
chopped kocher pickle to taste
salt and pepper
red wine
beef broth


The bacon is uncooked and is placed on the meat first. Then I sprinkle the onion and pickle on top of the bacon. As I said I've never measured it. This was one of the dishes that Dad used to make and he did it just by eye. The meat is the rolled up and secured with either rolladen rings of kitchen twine.

Brown the rolls in bacon drippings. Add half red wine and half beef broth to cover and simmer very gently until done.

I'll double check the recipe to be sure that I haven't missed anything.

I have the familys recipe for red cabbage and sauerbraten. Also potato pancakes. I'm happy to share.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
oh dear,,, where to start......

first, schnitzel is simply meat pounded flat, typically breaded, and sauted.
done it with chicken, beef / veal, lamb, pork. the taste / seasoning is all in the basic meat plus the breading. std methods apply - eggwash or milk wash followed by breading - double dip for company, high fast saute. the meat has to be thin enough to cook before the breading burns - if you need a knife, it was not done right.

Wiener Schnitzel = Vienna Schnitzel - is typically veal. but all the other meat proteins work as well and in fact I've done it 'faux' with polenta for guests of the vegetarian persuasion.

salads:
German potato salad is typically an oil&vinegar dressing, usually hot/warm. mayo type potato salad is an unknown entity in Germany.

"green salad" - the Ami "mixed salad" is unknown in Germany. there's
"Feld Salat" - field salad - greens typically with o/v dressing; not much else
"Kraut Salat" - Kraut = Weed or Herb = depending on syntax or the klassik "cabbage" salad, and kin. sorta' similar to cole slaw but not really. kind of a garden salad based on raw cabbage vs lettuce type products - including many many different julienne root crops ala celeriac, etc.

rather a lot of stuff served as "salad" in Germany will appear to the USAer as "some kinda cole slaw"

spaetzle - a/the recipe is dead simple: boiling water, flour, water, eggs, salt, dash of nutmeg for authenticity; more in the north, less in the south.

the problem with spaetzle is not what to put in the bowl, but how to "make" it - technique is _everything_ many times spaetzle gets translated as a "dumpling" -
frankly methinks it's more like "really fresh undried pasta" - there's at least two major camps: the extruded cheese doodle style and the thin almost spaghetti/linguine shaped knife-cut off the plate style ("Black Forest")

past that, there's the "served fresh" (ie right out of the boiling water) or "re-fried in butter" - if you go to a German restaurant in Germany and see "homemade fresh spaetzle" you will not actually "know" that definition is unless you ask or establish by ordering. some places insist 'homemade fresh' is re-fried, some insist it's right off the strainer.

I do both; I prefer the re-fried spaetzle with about a 50% light-brown crust "on the batch" - personal preferences and habits will affect your mileage.

other "classic" German food -
- fried carp, whole, with head - heh, it's fish, but not many USA buyers....

- whole roasted suckling pig - call me if you go there . . . can drive most anywhere....

- sauerbraten - beef roast marinated in vinegar - careful with the acid content - the "sour" bit can be easily overdone.

Eisbein - "IceLeg" - roasted pork shank / knuckle - multiple names; also available in boiled format

BeefTartar - raw beef, double ground, served with raw egg yolk in the depressed middle, rye crackers & onion; oh, double vodkas, if you're counting. can be had in NYC been there, done that, lived to tell the tale - but as a habit I do this only at home where I have control over "freshness" and "handling"

"Ein Topf" entries - "one pot" aka casseroles - can be virtually anything but usually a success due to the sauce and additives. had pork, rabbit, wild game, it's all there - but the bottom line is slow wet cooking with really tasty stuff added - mushrooms, sauce - Germans have a mean sauce repertoire.

"Pfferling" - went to a restaurant for lunch. they had (fresh, in season, yadda yadda) Pfferling mushrooms. ordered a double portion. "What?" exclaimed the waiter - "Kein "Fleisch? / No meat?" - no said I; mushrooms are all I want to see.

I'm sure I've missed a whole bunch of stuff - but frankly what I have seen of German food, and "Europe" in general, is just that the ingredients are fresh, locally prepared, no frozen pre-portioned anything (WienerWald / McDonalds / Wimpys excepted)

breads - well - Germans have a veddy long history of breads. totally new topic, but you can find some decent 'dinner rolls' at local eateries and yeh - heresy accepted, in the frozen food aisle. not the best, but passable.
 

Leni

New member
Another recipe that I just thought of.

Country Ribs well browned
Jar of sauerkraut undrained
Caraway seed

This is about as simple as it gets. Brown the ribs in a pot and then add the sauerkraut and caraway seed. Simmer until very tender. Dad always boiled potatoes to go with this. The meat flavors the sauerkraut and it end up not tasting at all like when it came out of the jar. It turns brown with the meat juices.
 
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Leni

New member
Red Cabbage

2 1/2 lbs red cabbage
2 tbs bacon drippings or other fat
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cloves or 1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup sugar
Boiling water to cover
3 tart apples
1/2 cup vinegar

Slice the cabbage finely and place in kettle. Add fat, salt, pepper, spices, sugar, and water to cover. Heat. Pare, core and slice apples. Add to cabbage and cook one hour. Add vinegar and cook one more hour.

This is exactly how the recipe was written for me. I use whole cloves and freshly ground allspice. I cube green apples and use apple cider vinegar. It freezes very nicely which is a good thing. I'm the only one who really likes it.
 

Leni

New member
Potato Pancakes

Let me start off by saying that this is a good time to spread newspapers all over the kitchen. When the batter hits the hot fat it splatters all over the place.

2 large raw potatoes unpeeled (1 lb)
1 Tbs onion
2 eggs unbeaten
2 Tbs flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper

Put in blender. Add a little more flour if it's too liquid. Fry in hot oil or bacon drippings. Flatten out when poured into the fat.

This batter is pretty runny but it fries up very nicely. Puts those boxed potato pancakes to shame. Serve with apple sauce and sour cream.
 

Leni

New member
For some reason there is no edit feature on the rolladen recipe. I forgot to tell you to make a gravy out of the liquid once the rolls are done.
 

Leni

New member
I finally found the rouladen recipe. I was beginning to think that it wasn't written down. I missed two ingredients. Chopped parsley and garlic salt. Both go into the rolls. The meat that was used was flank steaks that are rolled out to the desired thinness using a rolling pin. Use flour to make the gravy. My notes say that this is to be served with potato dumplings and red cabbage. So I guess I'd better give you the dumpling recipe.

Potato Dumplings

2 cups riced potatoes firmly packed
1 egg beaten
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sifted flour
pinch of ginger or mustard
crumbled bacon or small buttered croutons
Boiling salted water

Combine potatoes, egg, salt, flour and spice mixing well. With floured hands shape the mixture into ball 1 1/2 inch in diameter, pushing about 1/2 tsp of bacon or a crouton into the center of each dumpling.Roll each dumpling into flour and drop into the boilong water. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the water and serve immediately.
 

Leni

New member
Sauerbraten

4-5 lb rump roast
2 1/2 C dry red wine
1 1/2 C tarragon vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp mace (or nutmeg)
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp dry mustard
2 bay leaves
12 whole cloves
2 large onions sliced
1 carrot sliced
6 sprigs celery tops
3 Tb bacon fat
2 tsp flour
5 gingersnaps crushed
1 C sour cream
2 Tbs Maderia or Sherry

Marinate with all but the last 5 ingredients 5 to 7 days turning daily. Melt the bacon fat in a Dutch oven and brown the meat. Remove the meat, blend in the flour and salt. Gradually add strained marinade. Add crushed gingersnaps. Return the meat to the Dutch oven and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the meat to a platter. Stir in the sour cream and wine. (Gravy usually need extra thickening before adding the sour cream.) Serve with potato pancakes or dumplings.

I don't make this very often for obvious reasons. I serve it with potato pancakes, applesauce, and sour cream along with red cabbage. This is a great recipe for a crock pot.
 

buckytom

Grill Master
that's the ticket, leni!!!

copied and saved, thanks.

an authentic sauerbraten recipe always uses gingersnaps in the gravy. ss, you gotta make this!
 

buckytom

Grill Master
ok ss, i just posted an old fave of mine called labskaus.

it's a wet corned beef hash made with pickles and mustard.

as it was a traditional dish of norwegian and german north sea fisherman, it was usually served with fried eggs on top of the labskaus, with buttered toast, pickles, and smoked herring on the side. and of course, a beer or three. :chef:

yum, i'm craving some labskaus.
 

Leni

New member
I have to thank you SS for reminding me of my heritage. I am German American and my DH is Hungarian American. I didn't realize until today how much of my cooking is from both of those heritages. Here's two more recipes for you.

German Fried Potatoes

Very simple. Dice as many potatoes as needed for the group. Fry in bacon drippings until almost done and then add as many onions as you like with the usual salt and pepper. They should be crispy on the outside and very tender on the inside. The onions should be lightly browned. Good luck with this one. It is a simple recipe but it takes practice.

The next one is called Farmers Breakfast.

This is another one that is by guess and by gosh.

Fry enough bacon to render fat and add chopped potato. Add in chopped green and red bell pepper. Add in onion and continue to fry until tender. Drain the excess fat and drop in as many eggs as you want. Let them set for a few minutes and then stir everything together. After the eggs are set top with sharp cheddar cheese and cover until the cheese is melted. Serve with toast or whatever. Enjoy!
 

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
My great grandmother emigrated before WWI. She worked as a cook for a wealthy family in Sandusky, OH. I remember as a kid eating green beans prepared this way:

1# fresh green beans ends trimmed
2-3 slices bacon finely chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar

In a cast iron skillet (cause that is what she had) brown the bacon until nearly crisp. Add: onion, vinegar, sugar and beans and saute to desired tenderness.
 

loboloco

Active member
SilverSage, this May help you:
OETKER GERMAN HOME COOKING
Copyright 1963.
This is an english language German cookbook. I find it easy to follow and only wish it provided the German names for the dishes.
At the time I bought this book it was only 5.00 US.
 

Leni

New member
Green Jeans, I am making this tonight. I think that I'll like it a lot better than Mom's cooking the beans in a pot with raw bacon. The beans got the bacon flavor but who wanted to eat that limp bacon.
 

cara

New member
Schupfnudeln

SilverSage, this May help you:
OETKER GERMAN HOME COOKING
Copyright 1963.
This is an english language German cookbook. I find it easy to follow and only wish it provided the German names for the dishes.
At the time I bought this book it was only 5.00 US.

there is a newer one available:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_30?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=german+cooking+today+dr+oetker&x=0&y=0&sprefix=german+cooking+today+dr+oetker"]Dr. Oetker German Cooking today[/ame]

have some Schupfnudeln for you:

Schupfnudeln (Buabaspitzla)
2 pounds cooked potatoes from the day before (firm cooking)
ca. 1 1/4 cups flour
1-2 eggs
salt
onions
butter oil

squeeze the potatoes through a press, add flour, eggs and salt and make a dough.
form into noodles about fingersize, put on a floured board

In a big pot bring salted water to cook.
put in the Schupfnudeln until they come to surface, take aout and let dry.

chop onions and saute in a pan until golden brown, add Schupfnudeln and saute until goldenbrown, too

best served with Sourkraut (add in pan)
 
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