Authentic German food help

I"m planning a blowout German Apriltoberfest:cross:, this spring. I have a doppleboch and maiboch lagering as we speak, and plan to make a hefe also.

The trouble is I don't have any recipes for good German food. I figured on getting several kinds of brats and sausages from this place.http://www.germandeli.com/okinbox2.html

Does anyone have a recipe for good German potato salad? Any other suggestions for food? Yes, sauerkraut is a must.

Homemade sauerkraut, start now and it will be good.
Then fry some brat coins, the sauerkraut, and hunked potatoes in butter. Salt and pepper to taste. mmmm

Old World family recipe.


3 lbs potatoes
6 slices bacon
¾ cup chopped onion
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsps salt
½ tsp celery seed
Dash of pepper
¾ cup water
1/3 cup vinegar
(maybe some mustard)


Slice up then fry the bacon, remove. Soften onion, add flour, sugar, salt, seed and pepper. Add the spuds. They can either be boiled before hand or sliced and added raw. Put the bacon back in. Add vinegar. Add water to get desired consistency.

Of course, there is room for quite a bit of flexibility here. You can add mustard or mustard powder for a different variation.

I grew up on this stuff. Didn't realize most people made it with mayonnaise.

I've seen "authentic" German sausages at Whole Foods if you have one near you. They even had Weisswurst. It may be cheaper than the Germandeli website once they tack shipping on to it (cold-shipping).

Here's a Kartoffelsalat from a German cookbook I have:

1-3/4 lb potatoes
1/2 cup stock or water
1 onion, finely chopped
4 slices bacon, diced and fried
salt & pepper
vinegar
3 Tbsp finely chopped chives

Cook scrubbed potatoes in boiling water until done. Remove from heat, douse with cold water and peel while still hot. Slice potatoes immediately and put them in a bowl with warm stock or water. Add onion and fried bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper, vinegar and chives. Serve warm.

And don't forget the PRETZELS!

German pancakes! and the best thing ever, spaetzle!

The recipe is basically the same, eggs milk and all purpose flour and a little salt to taste, I have HBP so I skip any salt.

For pancakes, shoot for the consistency of like a really really stout beer maybe as thick as like, warm honey.

For spaetzle you want, dough so way way more flour and honestly you can almost leave the milk out entirely.

Warm a nice skillet, a little oil, and ladel out the pancake batter just as thin as possible, and just barely cover the bottom of the skillet in batter, flip once, and on to the next pancake. I believe the french call these crepes? But screw the frogs my family is from Germany so these are German pancakes by george. Of course where they live France is an afternoon drive, about 1 hour to the border.

Use your imagination with the pancakes, we usually just sprinkled some sugar, honey, jam, molasses, whatever we had on them, rolled them up and ate them. They also make a damn fine soup! cut them up, make a broth, throw in whatever, taters, onions, bacon bits, nothing at all, whatever, and make a soup.

For the spaetzle, flatten out the dough and cut the smallest strips you can cut, I've also used a cake icing piping bag and the THINNEST tip I could to press it out, and cook them like any noodle in boiling water with lots of salt and some sort of oil to help it not stick. When they float, they're done.

With the spaetzle make a nice BROWN gravy, just put anything in there you like, chopped peppers, meat, mushrooms, onions, or make it just plain and brown whatever floats your boat.

Or make (my german spelling is atrocious)Verheirateh (marriage basically). Make a nice clear broth, add the spaetzle, chunks of potato, bits of bacon and some onions. Salt and spice to taste. This should be a fairly soupy soup, not like, chili more like chicken noodle soup.

The recipe already given for potato salad is pretty much what my mom does, and remember, WARM, not hot but definitely warmer than room temp!

And when you have this party, round up all ketchup bottles, and put them away somewhere, hide them, because some CRETIN will inevitibly try to use it on their potatoes or wursts and that's a cardinal sin, punishable by ridicule.

arturo7 said:

I grew up on this stuff. Didn't realize most people made it with mayonnaise.

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And they EAT IT COLD, YUCK. Potato salad is to be warm and vinegary and bacony, not cold mayonnaise YECH. Being a Southern boy I have pissed off more than a few women by refusing to eat their potato salad.

<looks over shoulder for mother-in-law>
This is Mrs. Jass' family go-to german type meal
mix equal parts ground ham, beef, and pork with egg, salt, pepper and rice. form into small, rolled portions and wrap in cabbage leaves ( we use sauerhead leaves). place wraps into slow cooker with sauerkraut, onion, smoked garlic sausage and smoked ribs and more salt and pepper to taste. top off slow cooker with water or beer and cook for 4 hrs on medium heat. can be served with spatzel or mashed potatoes and FRESH bread. Had this new year's day....a celebration in your mouth.
Enjoy your party.

Feast your eyes on this menu.....That should give you some good ideas!

http://www.zumstammtisch.com/

3 more I just thought of, currywurst, german fries, and popcorn.

German style popcorn - just use sugar instead of salt.

German fries - make fries like normal but instead of ketchup dip or smother them in a nice thick brown gravy.

Curry wurst - grill a GOOD frankfurter, slice it up into bite size pieces, then cover it in ketchup, and then add a nice dose of curry powder and paprika then "heat it up" with powdered cayenne pepper to as hot as you can stand it, tabasco or srirachi sauce is also fine for this. Eat it with a good piece of German bread and of course, a nice dark German beer to battle the heat of the peppers. If you can find honest to god curry ketchup then use that! I usually keep a bottle in the fridge.

Try choucroute... it is an amazing kraut based dish.

recipe here --> http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Choucroute-Garnie-102386

If you have some time, Sauerbraten is a great roasted beef dish. Basically a vinegar brined roast with gingersnaps used to thicken the gravy. It takes about three days to marinate though, so it's a time investment.

A personal favorite is rouladen. Flattened pieces of beef roundsteak, with dijon mustard, carrots, onions, and pickle rolled up, wrapped in bacon and fried.
I take a can of golden mushroom soup and melt it undiluted in the pan drippings to make a gravy.

Add some spaetzle, potato pancakes, saurkraut and red cabbage, and you will have one heck of a Deutchlander spread!

Pshhh!! Who ever heard of "German" food?!?!

Wiener Schnitzel a la Holstein

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000

Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
12 min

Level:
0

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound boneless veal inside round, sliced 1/2-inch thick on the bias and thinly pounded
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup flour
* 2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
* 2 cups fine dried bread crumbs
* 6 tablespoons clarified butter
* 4 jumbo eggs
* 1 fresh lemon
* 4 teaspoons capers
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 8 anchovies, cut in half

Directions

Season the veal chops with salt and pepper. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Season the egg wash with salt and pepper. Season the bread crumbs with salt and pepper. Dredge the veal slices in the flour. Dip each chop in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Finally, dredge the chops in the seasoned bread crumbs, coating completely. Add 1/4 cup of the oil to 2 large skillets. When the oil is hot, add 2 chops to each skillet. Pan-fry the chops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Remove the pan and drain on paper towels.

Wipe out 1 of the skillets with paper towels. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and place over medium heat. When the butter is melted, crack the eggs into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the eggs are fried. Place the veal chops on each serving plate. Lay a fried egg on top of each veal chop. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt. Slice the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the pan with the capers. Cook for 1 minute. Spoon the sauce over the eggs. Criss-cross 2 anchovy halves over each egg and garnish with parsley.

WOW! Thanks for all the ideas. Swmbo's gonna be busy. There's a lot of good sounding recipes here.

x2 on the schnitzel! It appeals to a lot of folks who "don't do sausage", and is mighty tasty.

Not sure how "authentic" it is but this recipe for Jagerschnitzel is great...

Jagerschnitzel with Bacon Mushroom Gravy

+1 on the schnitzel. You can use the thin sliced boneless pork chops for it (pounded out of course). I like to use Panko bread crumbs for it. I also cook them in bacon grease...maybe that's cheating. I made a Jeager-type sauce and thickened it using the crumbled gingersnap cookie trick. Works well!

There was a Sauerbraten thread here called "I don't care what you had for supper" that had a Sauerbraten recipe and a potato pancake recipe. I'm just not into the 'sauer' thing so I hate sauerkraut, sauerbraten, and german potato salad but the potato pancake recipe looked really good.

And it seems everything in GR comes with pomme frites so plain ole french fries would be approriate for those that are finicky about any un-American food.

SpanishCastleAle said:

I'm just not into the 'sauer' thing so I hate sauerkraut, sauerbraten, and german potato salad but the potato pancake recipe looked really good.

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OMG How is that possible? I love potato salad of any kind, and eat sauerkraut cold out of the container.

wildwest450 said:

OMG How is that possible? I love potato salad of any kind, and eat sauerkraut cold out of the container.

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My wife hates sauerkraut too, but my kid likes it! He's quarter German though

If you're going to do 'kraut (and how can you have ANY kind of German fest without it???) fry up some bacon, then saute' some onions and granny smith apples in the bacon fat. Add the kraut and bacon in the same pan with the apples & onions, toss in some white wine or beer, and simmer for at least a half-hour.

Hey,
This is an excellent party dish:

1 head garlic - peel& course chop
2 baseball sized onions - thin sliced
2 large jars of kraut (or equivilant of your favorite kind) rinsed.
about a 1 lb ham shank or 1-1-1/2b of smoked hock(Very meaty)
2 bottles good dark beer
1/2t thyme
1t black pepper
2 bay leaves
4t butter
2 slice bacon
1 cup chicken stock

Melt butter in botton of large heavy roaster, dice bacon, and fry in butter until it starts to crisp, add onions and fry until soft but not browned. Add all remaining ingredients, cover tightly and bake at 325 for 2 hours (No peeking)

Next, take at leat a pound each of three kinds of sausage, lightly brown them in a skillet or on the grill until about half done.

next take 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of new potatos, boil until they just start to get fork tender (15 min)

After the magic elixer has cooked two hours remove from over, throw away bay leaves, break apart the ham as best you can, place the sausages in layers atop kraut, top this with the potatos, cover and put back in oven for 30 -45 minutes. If it looks a bit dry (It shouldn't) add a touch of water or stock.

This is an excellent party dish, and the kraut elixer that results is like nothing else I've had.

I also have a recipie for Guinness ice cream, that works pretty well if you have a somewhat sweet gertman dark around.

-John

Below is the recipe that made me start to like red cabbage. That stuff in the can is hard to take, but this will get you hooked:

Render about 1/4 lb chopped bacon
Saute 1/2 med onion, diced
When onions are soft, add about 1/3 cup cider vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, heavy pinch of salt and pepper.

Turn the heat down, and add one head of red cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut into about 1/8-1/4" strips. Throw it on top of the bacon fat and vinegar, toss occcassionaly to get it to wilt down.

Wow, how have I missed this one? I cannot get enough good German food, and living in Phoenix does not help at all! I make Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein often at home with red cabbage or Spätzle. (I cheat and use a potato ricer to make mine) anybody have a good recipe for Hassenpfeffer? my grandmother used to make it, and sadly was never written down.

azscoob said:

Wow, how have I missed this one? I cannot get enough good German food, and living in Phoenix does not help at all! I make Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein often at home with red cabbage or Spätzle. (I cheat and use a potato ricer to make mine) anybody have a good recipe for Hassenpfeffer? my grandmother used to make it, and sadly was never written down.

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Isn't the Felsen Haus restaurant still in operation? They used to be on Camelback Rd, & had some good schwinebraten & a decent beer selection. It's been a long time since I was in Phoenix, but I remember the Felsen Haus & the Fish Market, they both had some great food & drink. Regards, GF.

Couple of additional suggestions:

Kaiserschmarrn

Germknodel

Both are popular in S Germany; especially good after a day's skiing.

azscoob said:

Wow, how have I missed this one? I cannot get enough good German food, and living in Phoenix does not help at all! I make Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein often at home with red cabbage or Spätzle. (I cheat and use a potato ricer to make mine) anybody have a good recipe for Hassenpfeffer? my grandmother used to make it, and sadly was never written down.

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That's not cheating it's almost like a spaetzle press, only the ricer I have is so wimpy it'll never push the thick dough through, I end up slicing it in strips or using a cake icing bag and the smallest tip I can find.

Grimster said:

Curry wurst - grill a GOOD frankfurter, slice it up into bite size pieces, then cover it in ketchup, and then add a nice dose of curry powder and paprika then "heat it up" with powdered cayenne pepper to as hot as you can stand it, tabasco or srirachi sauce is also fine for this. Eat it with a good piece of German bread and of course, a nice dark German beer to battle the heat of the peppers. If you can find honest to god curry ketchup then use that! I usually keep a bottle in the fridge.

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Oh man, the wife and I travelled to Germany last year to visit her niece.

I fell in love with currywurst over there and have been meaning to make it. I'd love to try to increase the heat with Sriracha or cayenne, as it really wasn't spicy over there at all.

Handle said:

Oh man, the wife and I travelled to Germany last year to visit her niece.

I fell in love with currywurst over there and have been meaning to make it. I'd love to try to increase the heat with Sriracha or cayenne, as it really wasn't spicy over there at all.

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Just say "extra scharfe" and then nod sagely. Or "super scharfe" if you really want to drive home the "yes make it hot" request.

It was a game at our local hang out when I was there to make the hottest sumbitchin currywurst you could without making it LOOK hot some of them got pretty bad.

If I didn't mention srirachi sauce in my original post I should have! It would go perfectly on a good currywurst!

Handle said:

Oh man, the wife and I travelled to Germany last year to visit her niece.

I fell in love with currywurst over there and have been meaning to make it. I'd love to try to increase the heat with Sriracha or cayenne, as it really wasn't spicy over there at all.

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Speaking of 'hot', a guy at work brings in this german hot yellow mustard in a tube and it is awesome! It says "Scharfer Senf" on the label.

SpanishCastleAle said:

Speaking of 'hot', a guy at work brings in this german hot yellow mustard in a tube and it is awesome! It says "Scharfer Senf" on the label.

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That's in the red tube isn't it? There's an "extra scharfer" too and it's really spicy.



Your sinuses will open up like a flower if you use this stuff on your bratwurst.

Very similar. I think the brand is Thomy. Probably very similar. Very aromtic-hot like you said.

I love spicy mustards.

Thanks for schooling me on some of the terms for "spicy" in German. We had some great food in the little time we were there, but none of it spicy.

Btw... Oktoberfest in spring is called Frühlingsfest Same **** just different season

Loewensenf is definitely hotter than Thomy. Loewensenf is from Bavaria, know for the hotter stuff. The wimpy North-Germans would not be able tyo handle it, lol.

Weisswurst is certainly authentic, but the Germans in Munich I spoke with said only old people and tourists eat it. I had some at the big beer hall in Munich and it was... authentic to say the least.

Wienerschnitzel.... traditionally veal, and Austrian in origin, you can use a pork chop and pound it paper thin, cover in bread crumbs and pan fry it, serve with lemon wedges.

Rotkohl- Red cabbage that you cook in bacon grease with a tiny tiny tiny pinch of cinnamon for aroma.

Brussel Sprouts- remove outer leaves and then chop in halves, saute in bacon grease and serve with bacon bits.

Rabbit: Remove guts and skin, quartered. Sear in bacon grease in iron skillet, add chopped carrots/celery/onion to the pan, cover with foil, and put in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Plate the meat and discard the vegetables, pour a splash of riesling in the pan and scrub the bottom with a spatula, add a tablespoon of flour and cook on medium heat while whisking until the gravy is done, about 5 minutes. Pour it over the rabbit.

Bratwurst is always a winner.

And as others said, make your own saurkraut or you can no longer call yourself a decent American.

Make your own mustard too.

Make the mustard and the kraut, get bratwursts, and you are basically done.

What day and what time do I need to be there?

Grimster said:

That's in the red tube isn't it? There's an "extra scharfer" too and it's really spicy.

Your sinuses will open up like a flower if you use this stuff on your bratwurst.

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Yes yes yes! I had that at a party recently and couldn't remember the name. What a fantastic mustard.

Edit: I guess I'm officially old. I'm excited about a mustard I tasted at a recent party. Cest la vie

Ummmm, I am from Munich. The locals eat Weisswurst for sure. TONS of it are sold everywhere. If you talked to someone who does not eat it, they must have been Zu'groaste (kinda sorta like German illegal immigrants seeking a better life in Bavaria, )

I love the stuff - wish we could get similar quality over here....

Not really party food, but Sauerbraten and potato pancakes?

Ich war nur siebzehn jahr alt um 1996. Ich habe kein coo-coo clock einkaufen, gekauft, geeinkauft, whatever, die Bomben going off in my home town of atlanta during my stay and TWA blowing up over the Atlantic. What's the name of the place in Munich, I mean Munchen, the big beer hall full of tourists where Hitler carved his name in the table?

I lived there for three years and I can't think of anything that is really 'quick and easy'.

There were food 'kiosk's' just about everywhere (imbiss). It's where you went to get fast food type stuff.
'gyros mit pita und pomme frites' (gyro meat, pita bread and french fries)
currywurst (basically a bratwurst with curry ketchup)
tacos (yep, same kind, only they put corn in the meat)
..and a salami and butter sandwich. Odd yes, and I can't remember the name of it.

At the local restaurants you would find things like 'rump steak with herb butter' (pretty damn good).
jaegerschnitzel (a flattened, fried huge pork 'fritter' with a mushroom gravy).
I remember their 'cole slaw' being more of a slaw salad which was shredded cabbage not chopped, usually with unpitted black olives. Also, they served a shredded carrot side dish with raisins with some sort of sweetened sauce over it, similar in flavor to brown sugar.

Oh! The snails! Again, I can't remember what the name of the dish is. It was served as an appetizer. Snails in garlic butter is what it was. I remember eating the hell out of these when I was there!

Usually, after a meal, everybody had a shot of Uzo, or two... or three... and basicaly hung out until they decided to leave. A little different from American culture where you feel 'obligated' to make way for the next patron.

Damn! This is making me hungry!