Bratwurst Sausages

If you don’t have a meat grinder but you want to try making sausages from scratch, you can buy the meats pre-ground. A sausage stuffer is strongly recommended, but you can create sausage patties if you don’t have one (however, these will not give you quite an authentic brat.)

Serves 8–12 | Prep. time 30 min | Chill time 30 min. | Cooking time 30 min.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ pounds pork butt, ground
• 1 pound veal or beef, ground
• ½ pound pork fatback, ground
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon caraway seed
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 5 feet of natural sausage casing

For the beer bath

• 6 cups German lager or ale
• 1 cup butter
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. If you’re grinding the meat, trim and chill it first and then grind it with a 3/16-inch plate.
2. Combine the meat with the spices and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Stuff the sausages according to the sausage-stuffer directions and twist it into 4-inch links. Separate the sausages if you like.
4. Refrigerate the brats, but use them within a day or two.
5. Prepare the beer bath by combining the ingredients in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Bring it to a low simmer.
6. Grill the sausages over medium heat until browned.
7. Immerse the sausages in the hot bath and let them sit for 15–20 minutes.

 

Red Cabbage

One of the hallmarks of German cuisine is the combination of sweet and sour, showcased in this colorful recipe for a popular side dish. It’s often referred to as Rotkohl or Blaukraut, and is even better reheated.

Serves 4 | Prep. time 10 min. | Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium head red cabbage, shredded
• 3 apples, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion until it begins to soften.
2. Add the cabbage and apples and cook, stirring often, for 5–10 minutes, until it all begins to wilt.
3. Add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix well.
4. Cover and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the cabbage is soft.
5. Combine the cornstarch with the lemon juice and add it to the mixture. Taste and add more seasonings if desired. Cook, uncovered, until it thickens a little.

 

Traditional German Potato Salad

The main difference between traditional German potato salad and the creamy kind you might be more used to is that in authentic German recipes we tend to cook the sauce ahead of time, there’s no mayo, and we include savory ingredients like beef broth.

Serves 8–10 | Prep. time 15 min. | Chill time 30 min. | Cooking time 20 min.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1 large white onion, finely diced
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 cups beef broth
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes and simmer them in salted water until tender. Drain and let them cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp, and then remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set the bacon aside.
3. In the hot bacon fat, cook the onions until browned. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and salt, and bring the mixture to a simmer.
4. Carefully slice the hot potatoes into a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot onion mixture over the potatoes and toss them to coat.
5. Heat the broth in the skillet and simmer to reduce it by half. Pour it over the potatoes. Stir gently.
6. Top with the chopped bacon and parsley. Serve immediately.

 

Apple Strudel

Traditional strudel dough is made with only a few ingredients and would have been hand-stretched so thin it would cover a table. But you don’t need to be an expert to give this a try – it will taste wonderful even if the dough is not paper thin.

Serves 6 | Prep. time 45 min. | Cooking time 50 min.

Ingredients

For the dough

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• ⅓ cup water, lukewarm

For the apple filling

• ⅓ cup sultana raisins
• 2 tablespoons rum
• 3 large apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup pecans, walnuts or almonds, finely chopped

To assemble

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup icing sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the rum and raisins. Mix well and set them aside to soak.
2. Combine the ingredients for the dough and mix until a smooth dough forms.
3. Heat a medium saucepan under hot running water. Dry it well and line it with parchment. Place the dough in the pot, cover it, and let it sit for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, peel and chop the apples. In a medium bowl, toss them with the lemon juice and season with the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Drain the raisins and add them to the filling, together with the nuts.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. On your worktop, lay out a clean, thin kitchen towel and sprinkle it with the flour. Roll the dough out as thin as you can on the towel.
7. Brush a little of the melted butter on the dough, and use your hands to spread the dough out until you have a rectangle about 12×18 inches (as thin as you can). Arrange the dough so the long side is in front of you.
8. Brush half the melted butter on the dough. Leaving a 6-inch strip on the right side and a 2-inch margin on the long edges, sprinkle the breadcrumbs along the center down the length of the dough.
9. Spread the apple filling on the breadcrumbs, but leave any juices in the bowl.
10. Fold the 2-inch edges over the filling. Starting from the short edge opposite the 6-inch margin, gently roll up the strudel using the towel to help.
11. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet and brush it with butter. Bake for about 50 minutes, brushing it twice more with butter while it bakes.
12. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm.

 

All the recipes are from Sarah Spencer’s cookbook A Taste of Germany.

 

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