A fine German dinner for fall
October slipped-by without a proper Oktoberfest celebration at our house. Maybe because the maples on our lane put on an amazing flamingly red show this year, glowing brightly in the sunny days. However, this is the time of the year when German food shines with its hearty flavors as the days shorten and the evenings get chilly.
German meat dishes come in many varieties. We are most familiar with an array of sausages, Schnitzel, a breaded pork or veal cutlet and Sauerbraten, a marinated sweet and savory braised beef roast. Less familiar are Rouladen, braised beef rolled around a filling; Haxe, pork or beef knuckle flavored according to regional taste and Frikadellen and Klopse, which are meatballs made with beef, veal or pork and served in a meat or white sauce. Also popular are Gulash, cubed or sliced beef and venison dishes made with onions, paprika and sour cream or tomato paste. This later dish is easily adapted to ground beef and requires significantly less time in preparation.
Mashed or boiled potatoes feature in many German dinners, but Spaetzle give sauced German dishes a warm and homey feeling. Sauerkraut is almost invariably associated with many German sausage and pork presentations; however, it’s milder cousin, red wine cabbage is as wonderful with its sweet and sour tase and bright color eye appeal. Instead of apple Strudel for dessert, here is an old pumpkin variation from my friend Joan’s German grandmother, many years ago.
Ground beef German Gulash with mushrooms
In a large pan brown 1 lb. lean ground beef on high heat, remove from pan and set aside. Pour off excess fat and sauté for 5 minutes 4 oz. coarsely chopped mushrooms and ½ large red onion. Stir in 1 tbsp. flour to coat the meat. Then stir in 1tsp. coarse salt, ½ tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp mild paprika and blend in ½ cup dry wine, 1 ½ tbsp. tomato paste and 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce. Slowly stir in 1 ½ cups beef broth to make the sauce. Return the meat and any sauce back to the pan, turn the heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, stir in ¼ cup sour cream and serve on Spaetzle.
Buttered spaetzle
Spaetzle are short rich German noodles, they are very soft with the texture of dumplings. You can make your own but fortunately are available dried commercially. Cook 4 oz. dry Spaetzle in limited amount of water with 1 tsp. salt according to package directions (about 15 minutes), drain and mix in 2 tbsp. butter and serve with the German Gulash.
Red Weinkraut (wine-cabbage)
Thinly slice 1 medium red onion and ¾ lb. red cabbage (6 cups). Heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or bacon fat) in a 2–3-quart pot to hot but not smoking and fry the onions and cabbage with 1 tsp. salt and stirring for 10 minutes to just tender. Stir in ½ cup red wine, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp. sugar. (Do not use water with red cabbage, it will ruin the color). Cook stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve warm
Pumpkin strudel
This is made with commercial phyllo dough from the grocery. 1 package makes 2 large strudels, so it is possible to make an apple strudel and a pumpkin strudel at the same time using up 1 package.
Peel a small pumpkin, slice ¾ inch strips and cut each strip in ¼ inch slices to give you 1 ½ cups pumpkin for 1 strudel. Toss sliced pumpkin with 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Set aside ¾ cup raisins and ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional). Stir together ¾ cups sugar, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/3 tsp. ground cloves, ½ tsp. lemon peel and ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg. Set aside 2 tbsp. fine breadcrumbs and melt 6 tbsp. unsalted butter.
Assemble on a damp towel: spread out 3 sheets of phyllo, brush with butter, sprinkle a little with breadcrumbs, spread out 1/3 of the pumpkin, raisins and nuts and sprinkle with 1/3 of the spice mix. Layer with 3 sheets of phyllo dough and repeat the process. Do this the third time and fold back each short end to close. Then using the towel, wrap the whole package lengthwise in a jelly roll form. Transfer to a greased baking pan and brush the whole strudel with lots of melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and slice to serve.
“Guten Appetit!”
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
