Oktoberfest- Time to cook German!
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
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