The German Kitchen

German restaurants typically serve various salads with a meal.  It could be as simple as Weisskraut and Mohrrüben, but there is always some colorful arrangement of vegetables to accompany the dish.  One such salad is cucumber salad.  This is a nice salad anytime of year, but would be especially nice on a warm, Spring day.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Portions: 3 – 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 large salad cucumbers (English cucumbers would work nicely)
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 2 tbs. white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbs. sugar
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• fresh parsley
• tarragon
• fresh dill

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A yummy variation of sauerkraut.  This is a perfect way to get rid of some not-so-fresh apples!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  1.25 hours
Servings: 4 – 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart sauerkraut
• 1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. butter, bacon drippings, or margarine
• 2 – 3 medium sized apples
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 1/2 cup beef broth or bouillon
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. celery seeds

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This is a good, staple recipe for cool weather nights. The potato soup is not the creamy kind, but a thinner broth based soup.  You can add sour cream and hot dogs (Würstchen) to make it a bit heartier. This is also good with Wasa crisp bread on the side.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6.

Ingredients:

• 7 – 8 medium potatoes
• 2 onions
• 1/2 liter vegetable broth
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1/2 liter buttermilk
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 tsp. marjoram, flakes
• Optional: parsley to garnish
• Optional: hot dogs, sliced

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I LOVE this slaw recipe! I adapted it from a Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook. It is super easy, and great in the summer. This is one of those salads that gets better with age, so make it a day ahead if you can.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time: 15 minutes (3 – 4 hours for chilling)
Servings: 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of shredded cabbage (slaw mix, common in the produce section)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup cider or red wine vinegar
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, prepared

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A light side salad, very commonly found on the side with many dishes in German restaurants.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time: 15 minutes (3 – 4 hours for chilling)
Servings: 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches red beets OR 2 cans of beets, sliced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon horseradish
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons onions, minced
• 5 tablespoons canola oil

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A typical potato salad, which makes a great accompaniment to Bratwurst. Unlike the Americanized ‘German’ potato salad, you will not find any mayonnaise in this.

Difficulty: moderate
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Portions: 6 – 8

Ingredients:

• 6 – 8 boiling potatoes, water to cover, salt
• 1/4 pound bacon
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup beef stock
• salt and white pepper to taste
• sour cream (optional)
• minced parsley

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