German Beef Stew with Veggies

german beef stew with veggies

Are you looking for an easy to make meat dish? The German Beef Stew with Veggies falls into this category, no special ingredients are needed, it’s very wholesome and makes a great family dinner. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Beef Stew w Veggies

2 lbs beef stew meat
1 tbsp clarified butter (alternatively tallow but only 1 tsp)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika, mild or spicy, depending on your taste
2 tsp flour and 2 tsp tomato paste
4 medium onions
1 cup red wine and 1 cup beef broth
– How to make Beef Broth –
2 bay leaves
4 carrots
5 medium potatoes
1 green, yellow, red or orange pepper
5 ripe tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes

Cooking Instructions

–  Cut beef into smaller cubes, if not already cut.
– Melt butter, brown chopped onions with beef for about 5 minutes on high heat.
beef stew
– Reduce heat to medium – low.
– Spice to taste with salt, pepper and paprika, dust with flour. Add bay leaves
– Blend all seasonings with a cooking spoon, then add the tomato paste. Mix well.
– Sauté for 5 minutes.
– Deglaze by adding red wine, or broth.

– Let simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes.
– Peel potatoes, cut into smaller cubes, carrots and pepper as well.
– Add all vegetables to the stew, cover and let simmer for 10 more minutes. Cooking time depends on the meat quality, the meat should be very tender at the end of the cooking time.
– If you use fresh tomatoes briefly submerge them in boiling water, then peel,  cut into quarters and add to the stew, same with canned tomatoes.
– Mix well and let simmer until flavors have combined well, this could be for 10-15 minutes.

Serve the stew with your favorite pasta or rice.


Good Source for German Style Meats Sausages

german sausages schaller weber

Southern German Apple Cake with Almonds

german apple cake southern style

The Southern German Apple Cake is a specialty from the South of Germany and is different than other apple cakes featured on this website. This German apple cake is awesome for any “Kaffee and Kuchen” table, for the holidays, for birthdays and festive occasions. The apples are covered in a creamy filling and will be placed on a light dough. It is easy to make. Even baking beginners will succeed. I prefer to add raisins and cinnamon. We had this cake some days ago, and it was gone within one day! My husband said, “The best apple cake I ever had!” What a compliment! Try it out and let me know how you liked it. Happy Baking!

Ingredients Southern German Apple Cake

200 g butter – 1.5 sticks
4 eggs
60 g sugar
150 g flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
juice from 1 lemon
1 package vanilla sugar 0.3oz
– How to make Vanilla Sugar –

4-5 medium size apples
70 g powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla pudding powder 
(1 tsp liquid vanilla extract and 1 tbsp corn starch if you don’t use the vanilla pudding powder)
butter for the form and flour for dusting the form
3 tbsp chopped almonds and/or 3 tbsp raisins
cinnamon to taste


So EASY – the Streusel Cake Mix from Kathi!

german streusel cake baking mix


 Baking Instructions

– Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
– Grease a spring form (10 inches) and layer with parchment paper.
– Melt 100 g butter, let cool off a bit (shouldn’t be hot).
– Separate eggs.
– Beat egg yolks with 60 g sugar until creamy.
– Mix flour with baking powder, add to the egg cream, swiftly mix it, then add the butter.
– Fill dough into the form, the best is with wet hands squeeze it evenly into the form. The dough consistency is not soft and not firm.
– Place dough in the fridge for 15-30 min (dough needs to get firm).

Southern German Apple Cake

– Peel apples, remove core and cut in slices, mix with lemon juice to prevent browning.
– Soften butter, and mix with powdered sugar, pudding powder or starch, add vanilla.
– Beat egg whites until firm.
– Add egg whites to the cream, mix gently with a spatula, add apple slices, mix gently.
– Remove dough from fridge (the dough should be firm), create an edge of 1.5 inches, gently press the dough around the rim of the form.
Use a 10 inch form 
– Add the apple cream.
– Sprinkle with chopped almonds and/or add the raisins and cinnamon; mix well.
– Bake for 55 minutes, cover with foil to prevent that cake gets brown.
– Optional: Dust with powdered sugar.

Let cool off a bit before you release from the form. This cake tastes delicious if it is still warm 🙂

Serve with whipped cream.


Recommended Spring Forms for this Cake
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Old Fashioned Silesian Streusel Cake

silesian streusel cake

Silesian Streusel Cake – The Silesian cuisine covers also a part of the German and Polish cuisine. It was always a cuisine of a border area, therefor you find several influences of other areas such as Austria, Saxon or Bohemia. In the Germany of today you still can find this special cuisine in the county of Goerlitz.
In the local restaurants and cafes they serve typical Silesian dishes like poppy seed strudel or Silesian paradise (also called Himmelreich).  The Streusel Cake below is a traditional cake and in Silesian dialect it is called “Straeselkucha”.
More recipes to come such as the popular cake “Poppy Seed Strudel” or “Neisser Konfekt” (ginger cookies with or without chocolate). Stay tuned and Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Silesian Streusel Cake

450 g flour, all purpose
1 package dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
50 g melted butter
50 g sugar
1 egg, 1 dash salt


Filling
200 g butter
200 g sugar
3 eggs
1 kg quark – How to make Quark–
1 package vanilla pudding, Dr Oetker

Streusel
350 g flour
200 g sugar
little bit of cinnamon
200 g butter

Baking Instructions Silesian Streusel Cake

Make the Dough
– Place all ingredients in a bowl and knead them until you get a smooth dough. The dough needs to be soft but not sticky.
– Let sit covered with a kitchen cloth for about 30 minutes.

Quark Filling
– Beat butter, sugar and eggs until bubbly.
– Add quark, then vanilla pudding powder, mix well.

Streusel (Crumbles)
– Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter and with your hands makes the crumbles.
– Grease a deep baking tray.
– Roll the dough and place it on the baking tray; make the edges somewhat higher.
– Spread the quark filling over the dough and sprinkle Streusel evenly on top.
– Bake for about 30 minutes on 180 C or 355 F.

 photo credit

Authentic German Cabbage Soup with Croutons

german cabbage soup

This is a delicious German cabbage soup especially good during the cold months but can be made at any time. Cabbage is a popular fall/winter vegetable in Germany and can be used for many German recipes such as the German cabbage soup with croutons. Why is it known to be a winter vegetable? Back then during the cold winter months cabbage was used because of its high Vitamin C content, it can be preserved easily such as making Sauerkraut – How to make Sauerkraut – Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Cabbage Soup

1kg white cabbage
60 g butter
80 g bacon cubes (German Speck cubes, or Pancetta)
1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp caraway seeds
200 ml dry white wine
1 liter vegetable broth (instant or home made) 
– How to make Vegetable Broth –

200 ml heavy cream
2-3 potatoes, medium size
salt, pepper to taste
4 slices farmers bread or baguette bread
5 tbsp chopped chives

Cooking Instructions German Cabbage Soup

– Cut cabbage in quarters, remove hard parts and cut it in 1 inch wide stripes.
– Heat butter, add speck, sugar and caraway seeds with cabbage and saute it until transparent.
– Fill up with wine, broth and heavy cream, spice with salt and pepper.
– Peel potatoes and grate them, mix into soup, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
– Cut bread into small cubes and fry it in a skillet in 1 tsp of butter until golden colored.
– Cut chives in small pieces and when soup is done sprinkle over soup on top of croutons.


German Mustard is the Best – click here

 

 

Poached Eggs in Mustard Sauce – Verlorene Eier

poached eggs in mustard sauce

This German egg dish – Poached eggs in Mustard Sauce – is coming from the good old times when meat was rare or too expensive. It’s a recipe from grandmothers cooking book and what do you know, it’s still popular. It’s called in German “Verlorene Eier” because the eggs have lost their shell. Some call this dish also “Saure Eier” because you use vinegar.
It used to be a very popular dish in East Germany. It’s a good combination, the poached eggs and the mustard sauce, rounded up with boiled potatoes (we recommend Gold potatoes). Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Poached Eggs in Mustard Sauce

1 small onion
40 g butter
40 g flour
500 ml water
3 tbsp German mustard


– All About German Mustard – How to Use it in Cooking –

german mustard


1 tsp lemon juice
4 fresh eggs
1 liter water
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt, pepper to taste


German Mustard from Develey: So Good!

develey mustard


Cooking Instructions Poached Eggs in Mustard Sauce

– Chop onion fine.
– Melt butter, saute onion until transparent.
– Add flour, mix very well until you get a slightly yellowish substance. Then add 500ml cold water.
– Bring while mixing to a boil.
– Add mustard and lemon juice, spice with salt and pepper to taste.
– Bring 1 liter water to  a boil, add vinegar and 1 tsp salt.
– Crack one egg in a cup.
– Very carefully let the egg slide into the boiling water. Repeat with each egg.
– Reduce heat, and let simmer for 5 min.
– Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.

Serve the poached eggs with the mustard sauce and boiled potatoes.


TIPS

This recipe is using a lot of water. Always make sure that you use purified and good water. Here is a recommendation:  The Berkey filter.
I am using  this filter since a long time and it’s the best water I’ve ever had, and I tried many filter systems. All the water that I need for cooking will be going through this filter. The coffee and tea tastes better, the drinking water has no strange after-taste anymore. The other good thing is, this filter system is portable. So it’s 100 percent hassle free. No special connections needed. And they have good deals. Check it out!



 

German Beer Bread – Original Bavarian Recipe

german beer bread

wilhelm from BavariaGerman Beer Bread is the best to be made with German beer and especially the Bavarian beer from Hofbrau which is one of the oldest breweries in Bavaria. Here is a little history of the Hofbrauhaus: The Hofbrauhaus was founded in 1589 by Herzog Wilhem V.
Since then the brewery and the Brauhaus are a historical location in Munich. Hofbrau are part of the Bavarian history and it is a 400 year old tradition to brew this beer that is been served at the annual Oktoberfest. We all know it by its abbreviation “HB”. Indeed it is part of Bavaria and the beer has created a life style with the beer garden, the food and the so called “Gemütlichkeit”.

The First Oktoberfest

Bavarian king Maximilian I. demonstrated that he is a generous man when his son Ludwig was going to marry Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. For this wedding he sponsored a gigantic celebration for 40.000 visitors; it was in fact the first Oktoberfest and happened on October 17, 1810. The sensation of the fest was the horse race on a meadow in front of the city, and from that date on it was called the “Theresienwiese” (Wiese = Meadow), and from that day on, it had been decided that such a fest should be occurring every year.

It was the starting day of the famous Oktoberfest and it is happening yearly on the “Wies’n”, the former Theresienwiese. 2 years later, in 1812, a special beer was created: The Oktoberfest Beer. It is of a dark yellow color, and is more spiced, and contains more alcohol than the regular beer. Since then the Oktoberfest beer from Hofbrau has been the world most famous beer worldwide.

Germany is known for being the country with the best beer. It is because of the water they use, the hops and of course of their traditional recipes that are kept secret for hundreds of years. The beer does not contain any chemicals, nor unnatural ingredients. It is brewed per the rules that are quite strict in Germany (per the so called “Reinheitsgesetz” – the law of purity ).

Beer can be used in many German recipes. There’s a recipe where you would use beer for making bread, and it is the main ingredient. Have a look. Happy Cooking! And Prosit!

hofbrau beer

Ingredients German Beer Bread

500 g all purpose wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 sachet baking powder (Dr Oetker) –
0.5 Liter beer Bier (Lager, Pilsner)
(Optional: 100 g roasted onions
Herbs such as thyme, marjoram, walnuts, roasted sunflower seeds)

Baking Instructions German Beer Bread

– Pre-heat oven to 200°C or 390 F.
– Grease a box type baking form of size: 4 x 9 inches (10x20cm) generously with butter or layer with parchment paper.
– In a big bowl mix all dry ingredients very well, add the beer and the roasted onion or the herbs if you use these options. Mix well.
– Pour dough into the form and bake for 35-40 minutes, until it has a light brown crust.
– When done let cool off for 10 min on a cooling grid.
– Release the bread.

– Optional: Place the bread on a baking tray, and because the bread is hot, any butter will melt right away, so spread the butter generously over the top and sides. This creates a very nice crust.
– Place back in oven and broil for 2 min. Watch the bread so it won’t get burned or dark.


Available from Sept 15 – Oct 30

german oktoberfest box


Tips

Depending on the beer you will be using, the bread color can be light or dark. Dark beer can be used as well as Lager or a light version.
You can skip the sugar if you like or use a bit of honey that will be dissolved in the beer.
The taste also depends on the kind of beer you are using. A light beer is recommended that is not too strong in taste.
NOT recommended: Guinness, Hefe Weizen, Bock beer or ale.

 

Photosource

Römertopf Chicken – Cooked in Clay Pot

Romertopf Chicken baked in clay pot

Have you ever used a so called Römertopf or Schlemmertopf? It’s a clay pot that is used in the oven, like a Dutch oven, and you can make delicious meals like the Römertopf Chicken.

Using a clay pot for cooking is very healthy because all nutrients will stay in the food. You don’t have to use any grease or fat, so it’s a perfect alternative for a pan fried dish. Every ingredient will be placed into the pot and cooked in the oven. The meat turned out to be very tender and to be honest, it was the best chicken that I ever served. To get a Römertopf is quite worth it. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Römertopf Chicken

1 chicken, about 2 kg that’s about 5 lb
2 smaller carrots
1 of each: leek, apple, medium size onion
salt, pepper, mild paprika – mixed
250ml white wine
Clay pot size in inches:  L 13 x H 10 x W 8 – I used this pot size for the recipe

Cooking Instructions

– Wash the chicken inside and outside, pat dry with kitchen paper.
– Soak the clay pot in water for 10 min. If your pot is glazed you don’t have to. If only the lid is glazed, soak the lid only.
– Peel apple, onion and cut into coarse pieces. Cut carrot the same way.
– Mix veggies in a bowl.
– Mix the salt with spices and apply to the chicken inside and outside.
– Fill the chicken with some veggies.

– Place chicken into the clay pot and place remaining veggies around it.
– Fill up with the white wine.
– Close with the lid and place in the COLD oven. This is important. If the oven is warm or hot you risk that the clay pot will break.
– Bake on 390 F 75-90 min or longer depending on th chicken size. When you see that it’s bubbling under the skin, it’s done.
– 20-30 min before the cooking time ends remove the lid and continue baking so the chicken gets a nice crust.
– When the chicken is done let sit for some minutes, remove from the pot and serve.

GRAVY
Drain the veggies and make a gravy out of the stock.
Keep the stock in a small pan, add 1 tbsp corn starch and bring to a boil. Spice with salt and pepper to taste and add 1 splash of heavy cream.


clay pot

German Cake: Granatsplitter from Scratch

granatsplitter german cake

The German cake “Granatsplitter” or in English “Chocolate Mountain” is a typical cake specialty, or you could also call it a pastry.

So what is is exactly?
In the bakeries it is made out of the left overs from cakes and  a so called “Tortenboden” (layered cake biscuit). The cake left overs are mixed with a buttery cream, rum and almonds and mounted on a shortcrust cookie bottom piece up to a height of 10cm or 4 inches, so it’s shape reminds of a little mountain.
This little mountain will be completely covered with chocolate. Because the ingredients can vary the Granatsplitter is always different and this makes it so unusual. You can be very creative and use all kinds of ingredients.

In Berlin they call them “Hackstockkratze”, in the Eastern regions it is a “Punschberg” (because of the rum). For the glaze you can use dark, medium or even white chocolate. To make the dough you can use all kinds of cake rests like from a coffee cake, cookies that are left over or a biscuit base cake. The recipe below is original and authentic German. Happy Baking!

Ingredients German Cake Granatsplitter

– Makes 8 Granatsplitter –

Dough
1/2 biscuit base cake (Tortenboden) – Already made or make from scratch (500-600 g)
You can use the recipe for an Obstkuchen (fruit cake) – Find it here – 
some baking flavor: rum or vanilla (or Whisky, brandy, Amaretto etc)
75 g almonds chopped coarsely (or hazelnuts, walnuts)

Shortcrust cookies
150 g flour
1 tbsp baking powder
50 g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar 0.3 oz – How to make Vanilla Sugar –
rum flavor
2 tbsp milk
50 g butter

Butter Cream
500 ml milk
100 g sugar
250 g butter
1 package Vanilla pudding or Cream pudding, Dr Oetker

Glaze
150 g chocolate glaze or “Kuvertüre” (if you cannot get the Kuvertüre just melt 1 bar of dark chocolate like from Lindt using the double boiler method, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and let it melt)


The German Breakfast Box comes with these Items!


Baking Instructions German Cake Granatsplitter

Make the Cookies
– Mix flour with baking powder, and sieve it on a baking board.
– Make a mold into the flour, into this mold add sugar, vanilla sugar, rum and milk, mix with some flour.
– Add cold butter that is cut in smaller pieces.
– Knead until you get a smooth dough.

– On a floured baking board or smooth surface roll the dough very thin.
– Cut out round cookies (diameter 4-5 cm or 2 inches).
Optional: If you have left over dough, you can create fantasy forms which will be used for the topping.
– Bake cookies and fantasy forms for 10 minutes on 180 C or 350 F.

Make the Butter Cream
– Make the pudding per instructions
– Place plastic foil on top to avoid skin build up.
– Let cool off completely.
– When pudding is cooled off beat briefly, then add the butter.
– Mix well until you get a smooth cream.

Make the Dough
– Crumble the cake that you will use, you need very small pieces.
– Combine crumbles with butter cream, not in one time, bit by bit.
– Add rum flavor and chopped almonds.
– If you use the left over cookie dough, cut it in very small pieces and add to the dough. It adds some crunch to the Granatsplitter.
– Knead well until you get a dough that can be formed with the hands.
– Place in fridge for 10-15 min.

Make the Mountains and Glaze
– With a spoon remove some dough, place it on the cookie and form it into a little mountain.
– Place in fridge for 1 hour.
– Melt chocolate with some coconut oil by using the  double boiler method.
– Pour chocolate over the mountain, use a BBQ fork or a spatula that has holes (see video). If you try to dip the mountain into the chocolate it might fall from the cookie.
– Place on parchment paper and let dry.


The video below is in German, but you can follow it quite easily. She shows 2 variations to create the little mountain:
Use a frosting bag or place with hand a small portion of the dough on the cookie and form the mountain.

Photo Source