The German Kitchen

This is a festive holiday drink, made to serve family and friends to celebrate Christmas and New Years (Silvester).  You may also substitute the wine with a non-alcoholic version.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Portions: 2 – 3.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine (750 ml)
• 4 eggs (or 8 egg yolks)
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• one packet of vanilla sugar
• dash of cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• splash of lemon or lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Whisk the sugar into the eggs (or egg yolks) and add a little cold red wine, and then beat vigorously.
2. Add the vanilla sugar, mixing in thoroughly.
3. Add the remainder of the red wine and heat with some cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice.
4. Just before it comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat. Strain and let cool a bit.
5. Serve hot and foamy.

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This is super easy, and a nice accompaniment to schnitzel.   In Bavaria, it is referred to as Pilze in Sahnesoße.

Difficulty: easy.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Portions: 4.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 large can, 2 small cans, or 2 cups of fresh quartered or sliced mushrooms
• 1 – 2 cups broth, beef, pork or vegetable
• pinch of salt

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I LOVE these! There are a little bit of work, but well worth it.  Try them with some sugar sprinkled on top or applesauce (my personal favorite). Yum!

Difficulty: normal.
Preparation Time: over 1 hour
Portions: 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 – 1 cup flour (if potatoes are dry, use less, wet, use more)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• vegetable oil or butter, or a mixture of both (for frying)

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I concocted this myself, while attempting to add variety to my list of South Beach Diet (low carb) recipes.  This comes out very good, and is very filling. The great thing is, you can easily adjust seasonings to suit your taste. Like spicier food? Jazz it up with a dash of hot sauce and some paprika.  More Italian? Add some fresh basil and oregano. The possibilities are endless! And a plus is, kids like it. It’s messy, fun, and they don’t know it’s healthy. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  1 hour
Servings: 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dry lentils (I like to use bagged lentils, but two cans should do the trick too.)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 6 small, or 4 large green peppers
• Optional: You can add chopped tomatoes, peppers, or other veggies into the stuffing mixture for bulk. You can also add rice. I recommend brown, since it blends with the flavor of the lentils nicely.  You can also top with cheese towards the end of baking.

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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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This is a good way to use up old baguette style bread. Can be made as a breakfast, or indulgent snack.

Difficulty: Simple.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 pinch salt
• 8 slices of slightly stale (within 1 – 2 days after initial serving) baguette
• Butter or margarine for frying

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(German version below.)

This is a great comfort soup that is very forgiving as far as substitutions. Our 5 year old loves this soup, but beware the fat content!

Difficulty: simple
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Portions: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound, ground meat (I usually use turkey, but meatloaf mix is closer to the mix our German relatives use, and I have also used beef in a pinch.)
• 1 medium onion
• 5 bunches of leek (I have also used scallions instead, with no drastic taste change)
• 2 cans, mushrooms OR 2 cups of fresh mushrooms
• 2 Liters of broth, beef or vegetable works best
• 2 c. of Velveeta, or similar type of cheese product

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Eierkuchen is usually served as a midday meal in Germany, with applesauce spread on. It is a sweet dish, and is somewhat comparable to crepes – in shape, that is. This is usually a big hit with kids, and fairly easy to make.

Difficulty: very simple.
Preparation Time: 10 min.
Portions: 3.

• 1/2 c. milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. flour
• Butter, about 6 tbs.
• applesauce (Optional)

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A pork roast traditionally served with a mild sauce, red cabbage, and potato dumplings (Kartoffelknödel) in the South, or peas and boiled potatoes in the North-East.

Difficulty: normal.
Preparation Time: over 2.5 h.
Portions: 4.

• 2 – 3 pound pork loin roast
• 4 slices pork bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1 cup carrot slices
• 2 c. white wine (substitute water, beer or broth if desired)
• caraway seeds
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• olive, canola, or almond oil
• 1 apple (or 1/4 c. apple juice)
• 1 tbsp. sour cream, optional

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