I used to work at a German pub and instead of celebrating Oktoberfest every fall, we celebrated it all year round.  Patrons would sit at long wooden tables, drinking steins of beer in a quaint pub that reeked of slow cooked sauerkraut and hot pretzels, and to every regular at the bar, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Of course things always got a little crazier at the end of September and the beginning of October when the entire pub was decorated in blue and white checkered signs and the owner would don lederhosen and tap a wooden barrel keg of beer to celebrate Oktoberfest.

Now, since I am no longer a bar maid, I get enjoy a bratwurst with a tall pilsner on the other side of the bar for a change. Perhaps I’ll even make my own soft pretzels and perfume my house with slow cooked sauerkraut to celebrate!  Suddenly my mouth is already watering thinking about the tang of vinegary cabbage.

Feeling inspired to celebrate?

German Fare You Can Make at Home

Possibly Related Posts:

• A Very Vegan and Vegetarian Friday Fun Links
• Foodista Quick Tip: Infusions
• National Candy Day is November 4
• The Importance of Pie Crust
• Georges DuBoeuf Wine Bag Design Contest

Smelt season doesn’t last too long, so when I saw the glistening smelt in the seafood department, any previous thoughts I had for dinner were scrapped.  The cool thing about smelt is that you eat them whole. If you are a fresh sardine or fresh anchovy lover, then you’ll be excited to know that you have a new fish to fry! Simply roll the fish in seasoned flour, dip them into an egg wash, roll them in panko and fry them in hot oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and serve hot. Excellent with a lightly-oiled green salad and a cold glass of chardonnay.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The World’s Most Neglected Wines (Part One): Australian Riesling
• Perfect Scrambled Eggs
• Salmon with Chanterelles and Slow Cooked Tomatoes
• Celebrating Chanterelles
• Remedies for Your Butternut Squash Addiction

Long ago when we were part of a (very low budget) film crew shooting in Germany and Austria I discovered the pleasures of goulash and goulash soup. The difference between the two being essentially a matter of the liquid proportions. Cheap, hearty, and invariably warming in the depths of a European winter, this is a meal worth sopping up with bread (externally) and of course, beer (internally).

These days we are eating mostly vegetarian so I made this version sans beef. Using an intermediate amount of liquid and with no flour thickener, the result was midway between stew and soup: perfect for serving with rice. The key to authentic taste is the Hungarian paprika; get the real stuff, and avoid the tasteless brick dust sold under many domestic labels.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lg white or yellow onion, chopped
2 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped, including a bit of the green top
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 red or green peppers, seeded, pared and chopped
3-4 med potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 12 oz can diced tomatoes together with their juice
2 tsp caraway seeds
6-8 tbs sweet Hungarian paprika – or adjust to your taste
3 tbs canola or other mild vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable or other stock, or water
Salt and pepper to taste

optional: 1 cup firm tofu cut into 1/2″ cubes

TECHNIQUE:
In a non stick or other stockpot:

Heat the vegetable oil until hot
Add and sauté the onion, leeks, and celery until soft and the onions are translucent
Stir in the paprika, caraway and garlic, and heat through 1-3 minutes
Add the carrots, green peppers, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and their juice
Add 4 cups stock or water
Bring to the simmer and heat at a low simmer for 45 minutes.
If using tofu add in the final 15 minutes of cooking.
The goulash is ready to eat when the vegetables are tender.
Longer cooking will improve taste: add extra stock or water as needed or leave as is to reduce for a thicker version
Taste and adjust seasoning

Serve with rice or rye bread. Rye croutons would be aces with this dish.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Winter Squash is Delicious, Healthy, and in Season
• Perfect Scrambled Eggs
• Moorish Badenjan Dip
• Celebrating Chanterelles
• Remedies for Your Butternut Squash Addiction