Friday Street Food

One of the most famous German Sausages or Bratwurst is the Thuringian Rostbratwurst, which is brought to you in this German Street Food in Berlin Episode.  According to the Purity Law, this Bratwurst may only be processed with high-quality meat.  This meat comes with spices that vary greatly depending on the region within Thuringia.  In addition to the classic Thuringian Bratwurst, there are also Currywurst, the delicious Merguez sausages made from Beef and small Thuringian Sausages in a fresh bun. 

Up to 15 different types of Mustard are offered, which are made by the Weber Senf Manufaktur from Austria using traditional craftsmanship and the best ingredients.  Both the Sauerkraut, the Potato Salad, the Thyme Grilled Potatoes and the Ketchup as well as the Curry Sauce are made in-house.

The Tannenwalder Sausage Roastery Team, serve everything in Berlin from their mobile snack bar. 

Every Thursday, 12pm to 7pm, Organic Market at Kollwitzplatz, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin 

Every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Weekly Market at Kollwitzplatz, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

If memory serves, it's possible we visited the farmers market there in Berlin last March.  May by not.  I'd have to find the photos from that day to see if there is any evidence of this set-up.... 

Good Eats

We’ve been fishing around the freezers to deplete our ostentatious hoard of food. 

This morning’s spelunking yielded a package of Marchant’s pork cutlets. Exceedingly affordable. 

Following a further beating of the meat there was this. 

The revenge of Jägerschnitzel mit Spätzle……

Dinner

 

 

 

Dinner last evening for New Guy and myself.

 

Schnitzel, Rotkohl, Spätzle und Brot. 

Good chow here at turkey camp.

 

And Then There Was Dinner......

 

Jägerschnitzel mit Nudeln und Salat.......

What's for Dinner?

 

Schnitzel!  

Accompanied by green beans and taters from the garden.  

Thanks to the Foodies over at the New York Times for the inspiration.....

Kartoffelpuffer

Kartoffelpuffer        

Variations of potato pancakes are found throughout the world and this simple recipe brings this comfort food directly to your own kitchen.        

Classic potato pancakes are traditionally served with applesauce (consider making your own) or sour cream.  If you want to indulge your German ancestry add a dash or two of ground nutmeg to the mix.  Don’t hesitate to substitute white pepper for fresh ground pepper.  A dash of garlic power works too.  Need some color?  Add a fistful of sliced green scallion tops just before cooking.  My recipe calls for large russet potatoes but any starchy spud will work.  This is a very forgiving recipe and allows for improvisation. 

While this is commonly a meal by itself don't hesitate to go large with the inclusion of your favorite sausages, or fried eggs or fresh pan-fried yellow lake perch and coleslaw.  A frosty bock beer is an excellent accompaniment. 

I’ve been puttering with the recipe of late and Jill (resident expert) tells me I’ve nailed it.  It’s easy, fast and scalable as long as you maintain the proportions as follows.

Ingredients         

2 large russet spuds – peeled      

½ large onion       

2T flour – heaping       

2 eggs     

Fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper

Canola oil  

Directions     

On your stove top fill a non-stick fry pan with ¼ inch of vegetable oil.  You will want this to be up to temp as everything else comes together quickly.   

Cut your spuds into manageable chunks and using your Cuisinart shred half of the potatoes.  Set aside.  Swap-out the grater disc for the dough blade.  Add the remaining half of your potatoes, the eggs, onion, flour and seasonings and pulverize into a smooth puree.   

In a bowl combine the puree and the shredded potatoes.  Do not become alarmed if the mix begins to turn a bit brown - the spuds are oxidizing.  Just be quick about cooking!

Pour ¼ cup scoops (or thereabouts ) into the hot oil.  You don’t want your pancakes to be too thick and can easily spread them out a bit with a spoon.  

click on images for a closer look

When the edges are crispy brown, flip them and cook until browned on both sides.  Drain on newspaper covered with a layer of paper towels. 

Serve hot and enjoy!    

Leftover pancakes can be warmed-up in the oven the next day.  

Pro-tip - cook a tablespoon of the mix initially to confirm your oil is sufficiently hot.

Kartoffelpfannkuchen

In the interests of enhancing the domestic tranquillity I am on a quest for the perfect Kartoffelpfannkuchen. 

First round tonight. 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple recipe: two russet spuds (peeled), half a sweet onion, a couple of farm eggs, two heaping T of flour, salt and pepper. 

Put the whole shebang in the Cuisinart Food Processor and pulverize. 

Scoop 1/4 c portions into exceedingly hot fat and flip once. 

Drain on paper towels. 

Acceptable result for a first run at it. However, something is needed.  More onion?  A stronger Stuttgarter onion from the garden?  Garlic?  White pepper?  All of the above? Maybe even shredding some of the spuds for more texture. 

I used rendered duck fat for a high flash point resulting in crispy edges. Nice. 

Back to the drawing board so stay-tuned.....

Porkulus (Updated)

Rains overnight and this morning look like they may begin to abate.  We'll see.  My pal Braumeister has been out hunting deer from a ground blind since early morning.  He texted me to say that he is mostly dry.

I slept-in until 8, stoked the wood stove, performed some household tasks and threw together a deer camp-style crock pot supper.  Something that could cook while we're both out hunting the close of the day and be ready to serve after darkness falls.

Two cans of sweet (with caraway seeds), Bavarian style kraut, three Marchant's loin pork chops, one garden onion and a Mettwurst (also from Marchant's).

Rubbed the chops with Spice House Quebec rub and browned them in a skillet. Layered one can of kraut in the cooker, topped with the chops and onion (cut in eighths).  Second can of kraut over all topped with the Mettwurst.  If all goes according to plan this should cook-down into some kraut-infused goodness.  Yummy porkulus.

I'll likely pan-fry some German butterball potatoes fresh from the garden to accompany the one pot main course.

Fingers crossed...

  
Edit to add - Braumeister returned for lunch and said to add some smoked ribs to the pot.

  
Very nice result.  If I had to do it over I would put all the meat on the bottom and bury it under the kraut.  Maybe even throw a few juniper berries over the top.

Braumeister suggested smashed German Butter Ball spuds.  Good pick for almost a one pot, melt in your mouth meal.  My Western European/German forebears would be proud....

Stollen

 click on the holiday bread to enlarge

This is a traditional German stollen baked by someone who came from Germany.  It's in the freezer for safe keeping and so there is no temptation to snitch it.

Stollen is a cake-like fruit bread made with yeast, water and flour, and lemon zest. Chopped nuts and dried or candied fruit and spices (cardamom and cinnamon) are also added.  Traditionally served around the Advent and Christmas holidays this is a traditional German treat.

Last week I scored a homemade cranberry nut bread from a German client and this week I scored a homemade stollen from another.

We're going to be enjoying these home-baked delicacies over the holidays here at The Platz.

Raising a toast to having one of the best jobs around...

Spargel

If you want to make something really yummy to consume I recommend a Bloody Mary built upon a foundation of Uncle Dick's Tomato Juice.  Nothing better than a refreshing adult beverage that includes liquid sunshine.  Even better if you garnish it with a freshly-cut sprig of tender spargel (asparagus) from the garden.

From Wikipedia:

Asparagus, or garden asparagus, scientific name Asparagus officinalis, is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennial plant species in the genus Asparagus.

Asparagus has been used as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavor, diuretic properties, and more. It is pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC. In ancient times, it was also known in Syria and in Spain. Greeks and Romans ate it fresh when in season, and dried the vegetable for use in winter; Romans even froze it high in the Alps, for the Feast of Epicurus. Emperor Augustus created the "Asparagus Fleet" for hauling the vegetable, and coined the expression "faster than cooking asparagus" for quick action.  A recipe for cooking asparagus is in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s third-century AD De re coquinaria, Book III.

Many German cities hold an annual Spargelfest (asparagus festival) celebrating the harvest of white asparagus. Schwetzingen claims to be the "Asparagus Capital of the World", and during its festival, an Asparagus Queen is crowned. 

The Bavarian city of Nuremberg feasts a week long in April, with a competition to find the fastest asparagus peeler in the region. This usually involves generous amounts of the local wines and beers being consumed to aid the spectators' appreciative support.

The spargel emerged last week from its winter slumber in the spargel patch here at The Platz.  

This tasty and ephemeral spring vegetable will be enjoyed for about a month before it goes to fern, leafs-out and flowers.  Best to enjoy it while you can.  I like it grilled or roasted, anointed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper.

Click here for the best spargel recipes around.

Hasenpfeffer

Hasenpfeffer is a traditional German braise made from marinated rabbit slow-cooked with onions, vegetables and a marinade made from wine and vinegar.

A picture from the rabbit farm... 

click on the delicious bunny to enlarge