German Cooking Today Read online

  (thin strips of meat cooked in sauce)

  Quick

  Preparation time: about 30 minutes

  600 g/11⁄4 lb veal, from the leg, 2 onions

  40 g/11⁄2 oz (3 tablespoons) butter or 4 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  salt, pepper

  15 g/1⁄2 oz (2 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour

  250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) whipping cream

  125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) white wine

  some dashes lemon juice

  chervil leaves (optional)

  Per serving:

  P: 33 g, F: 35 g, C: 6 g, kJ: 2079, kcal: 497

  1. Rinse the veal under cold running water, pat dry and cut into thin strips. Peel the onions, cut in half and chop finely.

  2. Heat half the clarified butter or oil in a pan. Add half the strips of meat and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the pan. Then fry the rest of the meat in the remaining fat and remove from the pan.

  3. Add the chopped onion to the remaining cooking fat and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Sprinkle the flour on top and fry briefly with the onion. Now add the cream and white wine. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously and cook for another few minutes over medium to high heat while stirring.

  4. Return the meat to the pan and heat up in the sauce (do not allow it to boil because the meat would become tough). Season the Geschnetzeltes with salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice and garnish with chervil leaves if desired.

  Accompaniment: Rösti and green salad.

  Variation: You can add 250 g/9 oz well cleaned, sliced mushrooms, frying them with the onions.

  MEAT

  41 | Saltimbocca alla romana

  A little more expensive

  Preparation time: about 30 minutes

  4 thin slices veal, each 100 g/31⁄2 oz, from the leg

  4 leaves sage

  4 slices Parma ham

  salt, pepper

  20 g/3⁄4 oz (3 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour

  1–2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  For the sauce:

  125 ml//4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) white wine or vermouth

  125 g/41⁄2 oz double cream

  salt, pepper, sugar

  In addition:

  wooden cocktail sticks

  Per serving:

  P: 24 g, F: 23 g, C: 4 g, kJ: 1442, kcal: 346

  1. Rinse the veal under cold running water and pat dry. Rinse the sage and pat dry. Place a slice of Parma ham and 1 sage leaf on each slice of veal, fold together and secure with wooden cocktail sticks. Season with salt and pepper on both sides and coat in flour.

  2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the meat and fry for 3–4 minutes on one side. Then turn the meat and fry for a further 3–4 minutes. Arrange the meat on a preheated dish, cover and keep in a warm place.

  3. For the sauce, loosen the cooking deposits from the bottom of the pan with white wine or vermouth and boil it down a little. Stir in the double cream, heat up the sauce and season with salt, pepper and sugar.

  4. Finally, stir in the meat juices and pour the sauce over the meat.

  Tip: Instead of veal you can also use pork or turkey escalopes.

  Accompaniment: Rice seasoned with saffron.

  MEAT

  42 | Pork chops coated in breadcrumbs

  Quick

  Preparation time:about 30 minutes

  4 pork chops, each about 200 g/7 oz

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  paprika

  1 egg

  20 g/3⁄4 oz (3 tablespoons) plain (allpurpose) flour

  40 g/11⁄2 oz (3⁄8 cup) breadcrumbs

  50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) clarified butter, margarine or 3 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  Per serving:

  P: 45 g, F: 14 g, C: 9 g, kJ: 1431, kcal: 342

  1. Rinse the pork chops under cold running water, pat dry and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.

  2. Beat the egg with a fork in a deep plate. Coat the chops first in flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs firmly onto the chops and shake off any loose crumbs.

  3. Heat the clarified butter, margarine or oil in a pan, add the chops and fry for 8 minutes on each side. Arrange on a preheated dish.

  Accompaniment: Potatoes sprinkled with parsley, mixed vegetables with mushroom sauce.

  Tip: Instead of pork chops you can also use veal chops (fry for 5–6 minutes oneach side). Garnish the chops with lemon segments and parsley.

  Variation: For plain pork chops, rinse the chops as above, pat dry, season and fry for about 7 minutes on each side.

  MEAT

  43 | Pork escalopes

  Classic

  Preparation time: about 35 minutes

  1 onion

  250 g/9 oz mushrooms

  4 escalopes of pork, each about 200 g/7 oz

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  paprika

  40 g/11⁄2 oz plain (all purpose) flour

  50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) clarified butter, margarine or 4 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  150 g/5 oz crème fraîche

  1 tablespoon chopped parsley

  Per serving:

  P: 49 g, F: 28 g, C: 6 g, kJ: 1931, kcal: 463

  1. Peel and chop the onion. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and cut off any bad parts, rub with kitchen paper, rinse if necessary, pat dry and cut into slices.

  2. Rinse the veal under cold running water, pat dry, sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and turn in the flour. Shake off any loose flour.

  3. Heat the clarified butter, margarine or oil in a pan. Fry the escalopes on both sides over medium heat for 10–12 minutes (according to the thickness of the escalopes), turning occasionally. When cooked, remove the escalopes from the pan and keep in a warm place.

  4. Cook the diced onion in the remaining fat, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced mushrooms to the chopped onion. Stir in the crème fraîche, season with salt and pepper and cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes over low heat.

  5. Mix in the parsley. Pour the sauce over the escalopes.

  Tip: Instead of cultivated mushrooms, you can also prepare the escalopes

  with 1 jar or can of wild mushrooms, drained weight 290 g (10 oz).

  Accompaniment: Potato chips or fried potatoes and green salad.

  Variation: For Zigeunerschnitzel, prepare the escalopes as in points 2–3 above. Add 1 jar (500 g/18 oz) zigeuner sauce to the cooking liquid, heat through and pour over the escalopes.

  MEAT

  44 | Cured rib of pork, Kassel style

  Easy (6 servings)

  Preparation time: about 90 minutes

  1.5 kg/31⁄4 lb Kasseler pork loin and rib, salted and smoked, with its bones removed by the butcher, and chopped

  1 onion

  1 tomato

  1 bunch soup vegetables

  1 small bay leaf

  125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) hot water

  sauce thickener (optional)

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  Per serving:

  P: 44 g, F: 16 g, C: 3 g, kJ: 1390, kcal: 332

  1. Wash the meat under cold running water, pat dry and score the fatty skin on top in a criss-cross pattern. Preheat the oven.

  2. Peel the onion. Wash the tomatoes, cut into quarters and remove the stalk. Prepare the soup vegetables: peel the celeriac and remove the bad parts, peel the carrots and cut off the green leaves and the tips. Wash the celeriac and carrots and drain. Remove the outer leaves of the leeks, cut off the root ends and dark leaves. Cut in half lengthways, wash thoroughly and leave to drain. Chop all the vegetables finely.

  3. Place the meat in a roasting tin rinsed in water, with the fatty skin on top. Add the diced vegetables, bay leaf and bones. Put uncovered in the oven.

  Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),

 
; Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),

  Cooking time: about 50 minutes.

  4. When the cooking juices begin to turn brown, add a little hot water. Add more hot water, little by little, as the liquid evaporates and baste the roast with the cooking juices from time to time.

  5. Remove the cooked roast and bones from the roasting tin. Cover the meat and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes so that the meat juices are well distributed throughout the roast. Then slice the meat and arrange on a preheated dish.

  6. To make the sauce: Loosen cooking deposits stuck to the bottom of the roasting tin with a little water and rub them and the vegetables through a sieve. Pour back into the roasting tin and bring back to the boil. Thicken the sauce with sauce thickener if desired and bring back to the boil briefly. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and serve with the meat.

  Accompaniment: Boiled potatoes or potato purée and sauerkraut.

  Tip: You may also add 1–2 tablespoons of crème fraîche to the sauce. The meat is also delicious cold with barbecue sauce or chutney and potato salad.

  This dish is suitable for freezing.

  MEAT

  45 | Knuckle of pork with sauerkraut

  Classic

  Preparation time: about 21⁄4 hours

  1.5 kg/31⁄4 lb knuckle of pork, salted (2–3 pieces, if necessary ordered from the butcher in advance)

  about 1.25 litres/21⁄4 pints (51⁄2 cups) water

  750 g/11⁄2 lb sauerkraut, fresh or canned

  1 onion

  1 bay leaf

  3 cloves

  5 juniper berries

  1 medium floury potato

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  some sugar

  Per serving:

  P: 58 g, F: 36 g, C: 6 g, kJ: 2467, kcal: 589

  1. Rinse the meat under cold running water. Put in a pan filled with water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 90 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, slightly separate the sauerkraut. Peel the onion. When the meat is cooked, remove from the pan and strain the cooking liquid through a sieve. Reserve this liquid and pour about 500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) of it back into the pan. The amount of liquid will depend on the sauerkraut.

  3. Add the sauerkraut, onion, bay leaf, cloves and juniper berries to the cooking liquid together with the meat. Bring to the boil, cover and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Add a little more of the cooking liquid if necessary.

  4. Meanwhile, wash the potato, peel, rinse and cook. When the potato is cooked, grate it and add to the sauerkraut. Bring to the boil briefly so that the liquid thickens. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Serve the knuckle of pork with the sauerkraut.

  Tip: For cooking the sauerkraut, you can replace 125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) of the stock made from the knuckle of pork with dry white wine.

  Accompaniment: Potato purée or boiled potatoes.

  MEAT

  46 | Liver with onions

  Classic

  Preparation time: about 40 minutes

  5 onions

  500 g/18 oz liver

  20 g/3⁄4 oz (3 tablespoons) plain (all purpose) flour

  50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) clarified butter, margarine or 4 table spoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  dried chopped marjoram

  Per serving:

  P: 26 g, F: 18 g, C: 10 g, kJ: 1260, kcal: 301

  1. Peel the onions, cut into thin slices or rings. Rinse the liver under cold running water, pat dry and cut into slices 1–1.5 cm/3⁄8–1⁄2 in thick. Dip the liver in flour so that it is coated on both sides. Shake off any loose flour.

  2. Heat 30 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) clarified butter, margarine or oil in a pan. Add the slices of liver and fry for 3–4 minutes until the under side has browned. Turn over, season the browned side with salt, pepper and marjoram and fry for another 3–4 minutes. Now season the other side. Arrange the slices of liver on a preheated dish and keep in a warm place.

  3. Heat the rest of the clarified butter, margarine or oil in the pan with the cooking juices. Add the onion rings or slices and brown for 8–10 minutes, stirring continuously. Season the onion rings with salt and pepper and add to the liver.

  Tip: You can make this dish with pig’s liver, beef liver or calf’s liver. The various kinds of liver all have a different taste and texture. Calf’s liver has the most delicate taste and is more tender than pig’s liver, needing less cooking. Beef liver has the strongest taste and a firmer consistency. The cooking time also depends on the thickness of the slices. Liver should never be cooked over high heat because this would quickly make it tough and dry.

  Accompaniment: Potato purée and apple sauce

  Variation: For “Berlin-style” liver, fry 2 medium-sized apples cut into rings or segments with the onions.

  MEAT

  47 | Königsberger meatballs

  Good value (8–10 pieces)

  Preparation time: about 50 minutes

  1 day-old bread roll

  1 onion

  500 g/18 oz minced meat, half beef, half pork

  1 medium egg or white of 1 medium egg

  2 level teaspoons medium strong mustard

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  750 ml/11⁄4 pints (31⁄2 cups) vegetable stock

  For the sauce:

  30 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter or margarine

  30 g/1 oz (1⁄4 cup) flour

  500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) cooking liquid from the meatballs

  yolk of 1 medium egg

  4 teaspoons milk

  1 small jar of capers, drained weight 20 g/3⁄4 oz

  salt

  freshly ground pepper

  some sugar

  lemon juice

  some dill

  Per serving:

  P: 28 g, F: 30 g, C: 13 g, kJ: 1819, kcal: 434

  1. Soak the roll in cold water for 10 minutes. Peel and finely chop the onion. Squeeze the roll well to expel the liquid. Mix the roll with the mince, chopped onion, egg or egg white and mustard; season with salt and pepper.

  2. Mould the mixture into 8–10 meatballs with wet hands. Put the meatballs in the boiling vegetable stock, bring to the boil again, skim if necessary and simmer uncovered over low heat for about 15 minutes, keeping the water gently moving. Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve and reserve 500 ml/ 17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) of it for the sauce.

  3. To make the sauce, melt the butter or margarine in a pan. Add the flour while stirring and cook until it is heated through and bright yellow. Gradually whisk in the hot stock, being careful to avoid forming any lumps. Bring the sauce to the boil and gently cook uncovered over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  4. Mix the egg yolk with the milk and stir slowly into the sauce, but do not cook any longer. Add the capers with the liquid in which they were preserved. Season to taste with salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice. Put the meatballs in the sauce, and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the Königsberger meatballs with dill and serve.

  Tip: Sauce lovers should make 11⁄2 times the quantity of sauce. The meatballs can be frozen in the stock. Prepare the sauce after the meatballs have defrosted.

  Accompaniment: Boiled potatoes, and pickled beetroot from the jar.

  MEAT

  48 | Knuckle of pork

  For guests (6 servings)

  Preparation time: about 3 1⁄2 hours

  4 salted pork knuckles, each about 800 g/ 13⁄4 lb, with bones

  freshly ground pepper

  250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) hot water for the fatcollecting roasting tin

  about 1 litre/13⁄4 pints (41⁄2 cups) hot water, or half vegetable stock and half water

  3 onions

  100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) light beer

  dark sauce thickener (optional)

  Per serving:

  P: 78 g, F: 34 g, C: 1 g, kJ: 2616, kcal:
622

  1. Preheat the oven. Rinse the meat under cold running water, pat dry and rub with pepper. Slide a fat-collecting roasting tin onto the third shelf from the bottom and pour 250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) of water into it. Place the knuckles on a grid and slide this grid into the oven above the fat-collecting roasting tin.

  Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated),

  Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 4 (not preheated),

  Cooking time: about 21⁄4 hours.

  2. Add hot water or vegetable stock now and again to replace the evaporated liquid (the fat-collecting roasting tin should always be filled with liquid to a height of 1 cm/3⁄8 in). Turn the meat occasionally and baste with the cooking juices.

  3. Peel the onions, cut into quarters and add to the liquid in the fatcollecting roasting tin, then cook for another 60 minutes at the temperature indicated above. Baste the knuckle with the beer from time to time.

  4. Remove the cooked meat from the bone and arrange on a preheated dish.

  5. Skim the fat off the cooking juices with a spoon, put aside 500 ml/17 fl oz (21⁄4 cups) of the cooking juices and top up if necessary with water or stock. Thicken with sauce thickener if desired and season with pepper. Serve the sauce with the meat.

  Accompaniment: Sauerkraut or white cabbage salad and potato purée, potato dumplings or farm-baked bread.

  Tip: You can make the sauce spicier by adding a little mustard. This will also make the sauce more digestible.

  The knuckle can also be seasoned with dry marjoram leaves or caraway seeds.

  If you prefer the rind crisper, raise the oven temperature by 20–40 °C/70–100 °F for the last 15 minutes.

  No more than six knuckles should be cooked in the oven at the same time.

  MEAT

  49 | Rissoles (meatballs)

  Easy

  Preparation time: about 35 minutes excluding cooling time

  1 day-old bread roll

  2 onions

  1–2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

  600 g/11⁄4 lb minced meat, half beef, half pork