Oktoberfest- Time to cook German!

[MadMike]

In honor of Oktoberfest I decided to cook German, the first time doing so since I left Deutschland back in '92.

My sister picked up some pork tenderloin, which I cut into 3/8" thick pieces for Jagerschnitzel and trimmed off the fat. Had some stale French bread on the shelf, that was crushed for the breading (turned out great). Each cutlet was drenched in beaten egg then coated with breading. Cooked in butter until golden brown (I was cooking for four).

Goulasch soup was made by browning some beef sirloin tips in butter, then placing into a deep pan. Added two cans of beef broth, two tablespoons of tomato paste, and a can of stewed tomatoes. Added dash of garlic salt and paprika, 1/2 an onion, and brought to a boil. Let simmer for an hour. The stuff turned out remarkably similar to what I enjoyed in Germany, great stuff for a cold winter day!

Made the German style salad using a store bought can of "four bean salad" (with garbanzo, kidney, string bean, and wax beans); it was already pre-sweetened with sugar and vinegar. Added sliced tomatoes and some lettuce, coated with a little Italian dressing and placed in the fridge to cool for an hour or so.

Brotchen (hard roll) was picked up at our local supermarket, which bakes every thing fresh in the store (including real French and Italian bread).

My only problem was the pomme frits (French fries). I bought a bag of them and baked them in the oven. Didn't turn out as good as European style fries (not to mention I've never convinced my family members to eat fries with mayonnaise). Next time I'll cook them in a fryer.

The Jager sauce was a store bought packet of brown sauce, added to water, whisked, and brought to a boil to thicken with canned mushrooms (then let simmer).

So, everything turned out great and didn't have to make a half hour drive to the excellent German restaurant across town. The relatives were impressed and we'll be having more German food in the future (Anthony Bourdain and Rachel Ray take notice). :p

Yours, Mike

aka "Wildtolwutt"
USAF Rheinland Pfalz, '88-'92

[The Noob]

I'm happy you are enjoying your Deutschland essen! ;)

(I know that made no grammatical sense, Austrian Here)

[d@rk51d3]

Forget the pomme frittes. It's potato dumplings for me all the way. If there are any leftovers (IF......) you can always fry them up next morning.


Sauerkraut with crispy bacon and onion pieces, or perhaps a little kummell.......


God I'm Starving.

[Onkel Neal]

Yes, great idea. Thanks, Mike!

[Perilscope]

...(not to mention I've never convinced my family members to eat fries with mayonnaise)Mayonnaise, ketchup or both mixed together all good for me, Hmmmmmm! But moderately, as it seals up arteries quite a bit. :shifty:

Unbelievably Oktoberfest as always been one of my fantasy destinations. I don't drink alcohol nor eat meat a lot, but it's just the fact being in Germany while Oktoberfest and enjoy the atmosphere, just great!:rock:

[kiwi_2005]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c387/mischazion/Ilovebeer.jpg

The reason why a booked out 747 full of kiwi men young and old head to the Oktoberfest. Kiwi wives hate the oktoberfest. :arrgh!:

[Perilscope]

^^^ Now that is what I call nice atmospheres...

[d@rk51d3]

^^^ Now that is what I call nice atmospheres...



Are they Jugs or Steins?:lol:

[Perilscope]

^^^ Now that is what I call nice atmospheres...
Are they Jugs or Steins?:lol:
Since steins generally have a lid, they are definitely jugs...LOL :up:

[Immacolata]

Hehe, what would it take to make them into steins?:p


Too set the mood with cheery tune. Or is it a Beery tune?
Oktoberfest (http://remix.kwed.org/download.php/1384/Mahoney%20-%20Dark%20Tower%20(Oktoberfest%20mix).mp3)

[The Avon Lady]

Hehe, what would it take to make them into steins?
Porcelain implants. :shifty:

Shames on yas. :nope:

[Immacolata]

After weeks at sea, a sailor can merely by looking at the tire tracks in the sand from a passing lady's bicycle, tell you the age and weight of said female bicyclist. Possibly even her hair colour too, and marital status. Merely ogling porcelain cups is harmless surely :)

[Gizzmoe]

As a German (and "hobby cook") I feel the need to add some comments. :)

Jägerschnitzel or any other kind of Schnitzel are never made with pork tenderloin, only pork escalope. It´s much juicier due to a higher fat content and also cheaper. Pork tenderloin=Schweinefilet, pork escalope=Schweineschnitzel.

Premium parts like sirloin tips don´t really belong in goulash soup. It´s better to use a much less expensive and very tasty braising meat like shoulder. Cook it for at least 1.5 hours. Also add caraway seeds to the soup, it´s a must! :yep: Thyme should also be added, but it´s optional. Usually there are also cubed potatoes in a German goulash soup. When you add acidic ingredients to your soup like tomatoes (which aren´t a must) you need to cook the potatoes seperately, otherwise they won´t get tender. If not cook them in your soup for 20-25 minutes. When the soup is done add a tiny amount of vinegar (balsamic or other) or lemon juice, it brightens the taste.

I won´t comment on the Jägersauce made of only a packet of brown sauce and canned mushrooms, it´s just wrong! ;) The least thing you should do is to use fresh button mushrooms, and also add some cream.

[The Avon Lady]

/avon jots down notes, bar the pig stuff

[Skybird]

Much of the food described here I could not even swallow, that much I like it... It all belongs to a kind of cooking that we Germans would label as "rustikal". It has not much to do with real German cooking as to be seen by daily routine in german kitchens throughout the country. We don't eat Würstchen und Sauerkraut, Jägerschnitzel und Bohnensalad all day long. Most people even do not like Sauerkraut and Bohnensalat.

Oktoberfest last but not least is an event for tourist (and Bavarian natives :) ), like dancing Indians in America with costumes and all - who stop dancing when the bus with the tourists is gone again. Lufthansa even currently has stewardesses dressed in Dirndl on some flights to NA. The rest of Germany maybe may look with an amused eye on the Oktoberfest, but almost noone would say he considers it to be representative for Germany. ;)

[Immacolata]

Well the Bayerische leute are more or less their own lot aren't they? The "rustikal" cooking of Bayern reminds me much of that found in western Austria on certain gasthäuse and such. And then there is the beer. In Denmark we pretty much know only two kinds of beer. the pilsener (Pilsen-type) and the bajer (Bavaria type) :cool:

[kiwi_2005]

Ill practically eat any animal :P except rats. was brought up by a father that lived of the land forget about the supermarket for food he would go out and shoot something instead. Rabbit stew is one of my favourites, wild boar cooked over a fire is mouth watering, and deer venision is the healthest meat anyone can eat.

[Fish]

Hehe, what would it take to make them into steins?
Porcelain implants. :shifty:

Shames on yas. :nope:

You prefer baked egs? :hmm:

[MadMike]

Will try those ingredients next time. Don't know if any of the local markets sell large cutlets of pork, but will look around. Some of the jagerschnitzel I had in Germany was a little gamey (special stock reserved for Ami's?). :hmm:

Of course, one could always use chicken in place of pork, and you'd have to pound it flat with a mallet.

Personally I don't eat much beef or pork, instead I do most of my home cooking with poultry or seafood (Southern, Mexican, Chinese). Damn, now I'm hungry for some red beans and rice or gumbo...

Thank goodness for Johnsonville Brats, they taste exactly like the weisswurst and rotewurst I devoured in Germany.

Haven't tried Middle Eastern food in a while, so if you have any good recipes Avon, let me know.

Among the "delicacies" I've tried over the years- beaver tail, beaver meat, cow tongue, cow heart, buffalo tongue and heart, "boudin blanc" sausage, antelope, elk, venison, frog legs, etc. My brother-in-law made a "tur-duck-hen" a while back, missed that one (he also deep fried a turkey for Thanksgiving). He tried some alligator tail, said it "tasted like chicken", although a little stringey.

Yours, Mike

[Skybird]

Will try those ingredients next time. Don't know if any of the local markets sell large cutlets of pork, but will look around. Some of the jagerschnitzel I had in Germany was a little gamey (special stock reserved for Ami's?). :hmm:

Of course, one could always use chicken in place of pork, and you'd have to pound it flat with a mallet.

Oh my God. Chicken as pork Jägerschnitzel, pounded. Don't. :) Use pork.

Concerning the gamey meat, feel lucky not to be here anymore. We currently (again) have a huge food scandal concerning rotten meat. A good amount of the meat that made it onto the tables was SEVERAL YEARS OLD, rotten, and visual images did not describe it as meat anymore, but blocks of grey and white slime, like butter. :up: so far they have found many dozens of tons throughout Germany, expectation is that several hundred tons of rotten food awaits discovery in some storage sites. It started with the meat sticks for Döner (never liked that kind of food by pure instinct), but now has widened to even years old vegetable, and baken cookies, too. It's a desaster - and we have such a scandalt every two or three years, each time a bit greater in size. The new law that in it's title claims to protect consumer'S rights - turned out to effectively prohibit the publication of companies that sold such things, arguing that the publication of names would hurt economical interests of that compoany. :dead: The fee for such offenders is in the range of 10-50 thousand Euros. :damn: that is really a frightening deterrant.

You Brits laugh about Monthy Python? Wait until you see them in the german original, come to the better monthy Python country: Germany...

[Dan D]

I agree on what Gizzmoe said on Jäger Sauce.

A real Jäger Sauce consists of 3 sauces/fonds:
a) the basic sauce: butter, the mushrooms, shallots, white wine
to which you add
b) demi-glace and
c) tomato concassee.

Demi-glace and tomato concassee are self-made, of course.
No need to add cream really, imo.

Gizzmoe, we should meet for a "Schaukochen mit anschließender Verköstigung" one day.

++++
Don't miss the Oktoberfest movie. Strange rituals those Bavarians aka North Italians have. I am Westfalian, so no leather fetish for me.:huh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAlDvWSz1IM

[Gizzmoe]

Gizzmoe, we should meet for a "Schaukochen mit anschließender Verköstigung" one day.
Good idea! How about a sweet/sour-themed menu? :D

Soup: Lüngerlsuppe (Lung soup, with some vinegar added to it. A Bavarian recipe.)

Main course: Sauerbraten mit Klössen und Rotkohl. (Sour roast (originally made with horse meat) with potato dumplings and red cabbage. A Rhineland recipe.)

Dessert: Rhabarberkompott mit Vanillepudding (Rhubarb compote with vanilla pudding).

Rustic German food!!! :rock: :)

You are from Essen IIRC, right?

[Dan D]

Cool, a food thread. All credit goes to Mad "Wildtollwut" Mike who hereby is invited to be my guest any time if he makes it to Germany once again.
I have cooked my way through a lot of cuisines of many countries.
Here are some of my conclusions:
The Brits are the masters in making desserts, trifle. Apart from dessert lamb with mint, curries, toad in the hole a classic, Shepard's pie as well, come to my mind.
Nothing beats an English breakfast in that foodshop in Herne Hill/London where all the craftsmen meet at lunch time.
Scottish food, oh well, in theory possibly, I have read a recipe book but got no inspiration from it.
Irish food sounds ok.
In Sweden I will always make my way to the swimming sport center in Örebrö which restaurant has an excellent smörgasbord. Russian food good for Easter buffets and in winter (wodka and lots of sour cream on blinis, beetroot).
Polish food, I had wild boar and deer toungue on my last visit with a very tasty sour flour soup as a starter, lots of calories in general. Cook twice as much as people can eat. French cuisine old school excellent, Italian cuisine excellent (pure). Austrians know how to cook.
Arabian food, meat spiced with cinnemon, interesting.
Kosher food, I sure know how to make "Zimmes", well.
I have been discussing Kosher food on a party with a jew in Berlin a while back who is self-employed with a kosher catering service. We talked about the use of pomegranate seed (watchamacallit?) . He adviced me to add pomegranate seed to field salad.
American food, I have some recipes to share but I am not at home right now. They have the Atlantic, the Pacific and all climate zones. So they have all ressources for good food and have created their own style. But baked beans is still English and sour cherry soup German. Maple syrup pancakes and coffee, beatnik breakfast.
Canada, at the East coast, they sell lobsters in every garage. Just point at one and you will get it some minutes later served hot wrapped in a newspaper, tastes good with a cold beer.
Australia, BBQ.

[SubSerpent]

Ahhh! Just give me a Bratwurst and a few beers and all will be good!

[Skybird]

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/2753/funhormonegc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

"Hormones in our meat? How comes you think that's possible?, Mister?"

"Missis...!"

[kiwi_2005]

I see this is getting to a serious cooking thread. Okay heres a dinner well known down under called a Hangi. (steamed cooking)

Dig a hole depending on how many ppl I'll say 12. So a hole 3 feet by 3 feet square, and about 2feet deep. Ready a fire that will burn hot for at least an hr so a stack of wood about waste high from the bottom of the hole up.

Adding the stones.
Proper way is to grab stones that do not crack under heat otherwise they lose their heat when they burst and if they lose their heat the dinner will come out raw. To do this you go out at night always when a full moon to your nearest creek and the rocks that are right will shine up - glow. (no im serious) but a quicker way thanks to modern man is to grab some irons! Yay for irons!! :-). I have iron balls ;) about twice the size of a large fist and use 10 of them they will cook a feed enough for 15 ppl approx. Place the irons in the bottom of the hole with the wood stacked on top.

Beer drinking stage and arranging the food
Now light the fire and sit around and drink some beer and talk some bull**** for about 2hrs approx always keeping the fire burning well. While the men are doing this the woman are inside arranging the food baskets - add meat all types of meat it doesn;t matter even fish is ok, veges, steam pudding, etc., and wrap them all in tinfoil then they put the food in a large wire basket - simular to those crayfish baskets depending on how much food you got it will be larger. And they ready some clean towels, will mention why later.

Back to the men
Providing they aren't seriously drunk its time to ready the hangi :lol:. With spades they lift out the hot irons and place them close to the pit, and they clean out the hole so theirs no ashes - it has to be dead clean. This also has to be done quickly because of the irons you dont want them to lose their heat. The woman then bring out the baskets with the prepared food and the towels in a large bucket of water. Place the irons in first spread out like a mat all flat and place the food basket on top. Then place the wet towels (dripping wet) over the food this is so when you place the dirt back on none of it is going to get into the food even tho its wrapped in tinfood dirt still finds it way in. Wet towels will stop this from happening and its going to create the steam, with out steam your hangi is history. Once the towels are place over the food - (the whole basket should be completely covered) then the men quickly add back the dirt covering the hole completely, last stages is patting the dirt down so no steam escapes.

Drink some more beer.

2hrs 30 min later approx.
Your hungi is ready to eat. Just slowly scrape away the dirt pull out the basket, remove the towels and bingo you have a steamed Hangi ready to eat. Beautiful. :arrgh!:

Its not hard to prepare provding you dont get too pissed :rotfl: two men can do this easily.

[d@rk51d3]

Gizzmoe, we should meet for a "Schaukochen mit anschließender Verköstigung" one day.
Good idea! How about a sweet/sour-themed menu? :D

Soup: Lüngerlsuppe (Lung soup, with some vinegar added to it. A Bavarian recipe.)

Main course: Sauerbraten mit Klössen und Rotkohl. (Sour roast (originally made with horse meat) with potato dumplings and red cabbage. A Rhineland recipe.)

Dessert: Rhabarberkompott mit Vanillepudding (Rhubarb compote with vanilla pudding).

Rustic German food!!! :rock: :)

You are from Essen IIRC, right?


Now your'e talking.:rock: :up:

[MadMike]

Well, since we are on the Subsim forum and discussing "rustic" German food-

Source- Ubootwaffe.net

http://www.ubootwaffe.net/research/reports.cgi?a=1;p=8

Some "delicacies" I've had in the past-

- frog legs- tastes sorta like chicken.

- venison-some good, some bad- depends on where it's bagged- the stuff I had tasted too much like sagebrush.

- buffalo meat, tongue, and heart- tastes like beef, only twice the price. Heart tastes something like roast beef. Boiled tongue is nasty, too rubbery. Roast tongue is OK.

- beaver meat- at a mountain man rendezvous; beaver tail supplies the fat, beaver meat had a strong wood taste.

- antelope- too lean, didn't like the taste.

- elk- pretty good.

If I ever make it back to Europe I'll take you up on the offer, Dan D.

Yours, Mike

[Dan D]

@Gizzmoe
For horse meat come to the Ruhrgebiet. It is only 1/2 hour away from your place. Here you can get horse meatballs in at least some of the snack bars as an everyday food; and foal roast in restaurants. The good thing about horse meat is that there is no meat industry. The foal you eat once was a happy foal jumping around on the grassland until it got stuck in the wires fence by accident. I mean, someone has to eat it. Let's be thankful for the foal. Good and tasty meat, low on fat, nuttily. I know restaurants that serve horse meat each day. We could go there.

In return, you could invite me for a tour in Düsseldorf, Hausbrauerei, Blutwurst mit Apfel, Zwiebel und Kartoffelbrei, Altbier, for example. Is that a deal, or what?

@Mad Mike
The invitation still stands. No need to repeat it three times. If you come over, I will make you some fine food.If you don't like horse meat, just let me know.