What we eat - German food!

I wanted to talk about specifically German foods we eat. I need to say that while things cost more in Germany, groceries do not. The government controls the prices, I think, to keep them down, while subsidizing farmers (who are not allowed to put a lot of crap into their animals or plants that you find in America).

Rheinisch Sauerbraten

The ruler in the kingdom of German food - nothing can stand near it. I've blogged it before, but before I say anything else about anything else we eat, I have to restate how amazing it is. Where did they come up with the idea of soaking a roast in vinegar and spices (clove, allspice, mustardseed, bay leaves) for a week and then cooking it til it's falling-apart tender?

I'm not into pickled things - I like pickles themselves, but not much else in vinegar. But Sauerbraten, oh, do ask me for the recipe, and I'll give you my mother in law's version, which is much better than what you can get in a fancy restaurant on the Rhein river. The sourness is always balanced in the end by adding apple compote, and people around here are very strict about what side dishes are appropriate. (I've screwed that up before.)

The only reason I don't make it more often - the house needs a lotta Glade candles burning after boiling meat in vinegar.

Kohlrouladen

I like to make the variety that is simply meatballs wrapped in blanched cabbage. A little tricky to keep it all together, thankfully J has a set of little meat spikes.

Schupfnudeln

J makes this - they're a gnocci-type noodle thing, he makes it with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, mozzarella, a little bit of cream, tomato paste, lemon juice and other seasonings. 

Schnitzel with cream sauce

J's mom has a singular talent for making sauces, and she gave me the recipe for her baked schnitzel with creamy herby sauce. I cannot express to her how much I love her sauces, whatever the type. Wish I had a photo - I always eat it all up before I think of taking a pic. I'm envious of their dog who gets the leftover gravy, but I don't know how to politely fight over food with a dog.


Stuffed Paprika

Paprika being Green/Red/Yellow/Orange peppers, not the seasoning. This is popular in Germany and really satisfying. Red paprika are really cheap here, something I never splurged on back home.  For this recipe I do not put rice in the "meatloaf" filling, cuz I don't like rice in my meat. (Do not use tomatoes instead of paprika - they just won't work.)


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That is a summary of the most popular German dinners we eat. We also eat crossover meals like meatloaf, fresh trout from the pond, stroganoff, lasagne, shepherd's pie, baked chicken/next-day-chicken soup, my mom's pot roast, and duck. I also make a lot of home-made Mexican food, if I can make my way to the big city with a speciality store (Pakistani or Asian) for cilantro and pinto beans.

Roast duck breast is only 3Euros and just enough for two. It's fabulous, I don't remember having duck in America. Have you ever tried roast duck breast? It produces some sort of salty fatty juice that tastes almost sweet, you end up licking the pan you baked it in for every drop. Last week I accidentally bought goose and thought it was duck and was having a hard time eating it til I realized what I'd done wrong. Language barrier. In America I wouldn't mix up animal names like that. (Ente vs. Gaense, they even rhyme. Duck, goose, see? Not similar at all.)



Ingredients that are new to me, but we eat: celeriac, leeks (ginormous, won't fit in fridge before cutting), lovage (I grow it and it's my celery substitute cuz celery stalks are hard to find here), quark, tomatenmark, rutabaga, white asparagus, creamed spinach, kohlrabi (I grow it and the equines get the leaves)....

Below I'm making a side dish of beets with sour cream.





My favorite wine, Blauer Zweigelt, is Austrian, and sadly not even to be found in a Seattle Trader Joe's: ( (I wanted to let my family try it.) If anyone knows if it is available in America, please let me know. It's one of the least expensive wines here (2,20E per bottle), then again, there are a lot of good quality, inexpensive wines here.




The cranberry juice in Germany often has a Statue of Liberty on it to demonstrate that it is a popular American drink. Usually I avoid foods with Statues of Liberties, any expat will agree with me there. Also, if it has an American flag on it, don't buy it, it's dreck. (One day J bought a package of American Style Chocolate Chip Cookies and I was shocked, "Why did you do that?" to which he replied, "I was curious just how bad they were. They're bad.")



While I listen to German radio in my car, in my kitchen I was lucky enough to find the American Armed Forces radio station, broadcasting from Chievres, Belgium, and I sure do appreciate having an American perspective on my news, and the military perspective, which is new to me.  You can listen to both Ed Schultz and Rush Limbaugh, but don't try calling in, they're not live. Saturdays at 3, CAR TALK!

So, that's what and how I cook here, for dinner. I cannot do a post about German desserts, because I prefer American desserts so I stick with the ones I learned back home.

You're probably wondering if we ever eat vegetarian. Well, I try not to: )