| photography by Alex Lepe |
We have all seen the images of Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Brightly colored tents upon tents are packed full of native Germans and tourists alike, swigging beer, singing songs, and enjoying pounds of sausage, chicken and schnitzel. This year Germany will celebrate its 183rd Oktoberfest. The festivities will get underway using the traditional "O"zapft is!" cry, meaning "the barrel is tapped!" From that point on, festival goers will spend the next 17 days enjoying the largest fair in the world and, of course, eat and drink as much as possible.
If Germany is not on your radar this year, here are a few go-to dishes that will make you dance the polka at your own Oktoberfest party. Grab a few local or German beers, put your chicken hat on and get ready to say "Prost!"
Bavarian Beer Cheese Soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large stalks celery
3 cloves peeled garlic, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
16 ounces medium German beer
1 tablespoon stone-ground
mustard
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded, plus additional for garnish
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, and garlic; sauté 10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir well. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes until the flour turns golden brown.
Combine the chicken stock and heavy cream. Slowly pour into flour mixture, whisking constantly until combined.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the beer and mustard. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently until foam subsides.
Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until thick. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cheese a handful at a time. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Top with shredded cheese.
Homemade Soft Pretzels
1 1/2 cups warm water, 110-115 degrees F
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 envelope active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for the bowl
and pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk, beaten with
1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Combine the 1 1/2 cups warm water, the sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the mixture foams.
Add the flour and butter, and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, then oil it well. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a 12-inch, straight-sided sauté pan or a roasting pan (something wide and shallow is best).
Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into eight equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, and, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place on a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
One by one, place the pretzels in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return them to the sheet pans, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture, and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
Bake until dark golden brown in color, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Pork Schnitzel
4 boneless pork chops pounded very thin
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour combined
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup milk or half and half
added to eggs
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 lemon cut into wedges
½ cup finely chopped curly
parsley
Vegetable oil
Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them until just ¼-inch thick with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Lightly season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the flour mixture, egg/milk, and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Dip the chops in the flour, then the egg/milk mixture and then breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage. Be careful not to press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Gently shake off the excess crumbs.
Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough at this point (about 350 degrees F) as you don't want the Schnitzel to sit around in the coating before frying. Use enough oil so that the Schnitzels "swim" in it.
Fry the Schnitzel for about 2-3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. Transfer briefly to a cooling tray lined with paper towels.
Serve immediately with slices of fresh lemon and chopped parsley.
Oktoberfest Roast Chickenand Red Cabbage
Recipe: Germanfoods.org
1 whole chicken, about 3.5 pounds split in half
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika (sweet)
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon oregano
1 pinch ground pepper
¼ teaspoon marjoram
1 pinch of ground rosemary
2 tablespoons butter
Wash the whole chicken inside and out, and thoroughly towel dry. Mix the herbs and spices in a bowl. Rub the chicken inside and out with the spice mixture. Place the chicken in a baking dish filled with 1/2 inch of water. Cut the butter into small pats and place on top of the chicken. Roast at 325 degrees for about one hour or until done. Baste with the pan juices several times during the roasting, every 15-20 minutes.
Red Cabbage
1 medium red cabbage
1 large apple
1 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons dry red German wine or red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin or
caraway seeds
A good chunk of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop the cabbage into 4 quarters. Cut out the central core and shred. Remove the core of the apple, peel and cut into small pieces. Place everything together in a large pan with about 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes, stirring once. The cabbage should be tender but not soft and the liquid absorbed so the mixture looks glossy. Serve hot. If making ahead, cool and chill. Reheat thoroughly to serve.
German Potato Salad
Adapted from a recipe courtesy Taste of Home
12 to 14 red potatoes (about 4 pounds), cooked and peeled
4 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
4 bacon strips, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared
mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Slice potatoes into a large bowl.
Add eggs; set aside.
In a small skillet, cook bacon, onion and bell pepper until bacon is crisp.
Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings.
Add bacon and onion to potato mixture.
Add remaining ingredients to the drippings; cook and stir until slightly thickened.
Pour over potato mixture and toss to coat. Serve warm.
Yield: 8-10 servings
Beer Braised German Sausage
1 pound sausage such as
bratwurst
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large bell pepper, any color, thinly sliced
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (16-ounce) bottle beer
Brown sausages, onion and bell pepper in oil in a wide skillet. The sausages do not need to be cooked through at this stage; you just want to get some color on them.
Add beer and sugar, mix around the sausages.
Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer until sausages are cooked through.
