I have seen many recipes for German red cabbage, and most are absolutely in my wheelhouse and are recipes I would serve any day of the week. This is because they are crunchy, sweet, vinegary and amazing! These are ingredients that are easily found or are in your house already.
Most of the authentic recipes that I have found for red cabbage involve apple, which makes perfect sense. Sweet and salty and sour….who could argue with these flavors? In this recipe, I have substituted butternut squash for the apple.
As I have learned, red cabbage is served in many eastern Eurpoean countries with pork loin, pork chops, pork knuckle, saurbraten and other beef recipes. In my mind, I can serve it with anything, but if I serve pork of any sort, I always have a sweet element. Usually, I go with apple sauce, or sauteed or grilled pears or peaches. For this meal, the Red Cabbage is sweet enough to make the grade! Stick with me, this one is good…
Ingredients
10 Ounce Red Cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1/2 small yellow onion, sliced thin
5 juniper berries
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Garlic cloves minced
Optional – depending on your sweet tooth – 2 Tbsp. sweet jam of your choice
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 lb. butternut squash cut into 1/2 inch squares
Instruction
SO SIMPLE!
Add butter into pan. When bubbling, add squash. After 3-4 mins when squash is beginning to soften, add onion, juniper, sugar, vinegar and garlic. Keep over middle heat, at a slow bubble.
Add in the cabbage and sautee until cabbage is softened, but still crisp! Enjoy hot, room temperature, or cold. This recipe will taste just as good, if not better, the next day!
This recipe goes amazing well with my recipe for Pork Schnitzel! Pork with a sweet side is always a winner!
I LOVE a German restaurant. In my opinion, there are not enough German restaurants serving genuine German food anywhere here in New England! Years ago there were 2 restaurants in my area of Massachusetts, but unfortunately, both have been closed for years. Incredibly disappointing!! I now live in New Hampshire and had heard about one German place to visit in Hookset, NH, but after discussing gettting there to try the Pork Schnitzel, Saurbrauten, Spaetzle and many of the other menu items that I and my husband love for years, it closed before we ever got there. BOO!
I am always up for a bit of a challenge. So, where to start? Pork Schnitzel, of course! The epitome of the basic German food that draws in the typical first time German eaters that are dipping their toe into a new type of food. I mean, as it is, this is a chicken cutlet, for the most part, and we New Englanders have all eaten that, without doubt (forgive me, Vegetarians and Vegans)!
This recipe is easy, and delivers super crispy chicken cutlets/schnitzel. I kept the recipe very simple, but it turns out amazing! Paired with lemon, like you would be served in Germany or Austria, it is nothing short of amazing! So, let’s get to it!!
Ingredients
1.5 lbs. top loin thin cut pork chops – boneless
2 Eggs
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1.5 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs, Plain
4 tsp. Kosher Salt
4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Instruction
Lay out large piece of parchement paper over a cutting board. Fold parchment in half and lay 3-4 of the pork cutlets in between, covering with other half of parchment. Pound out using a meat tenderizer. If you do not have a tenderizer, grab a heavy pan and use the bottom side to pound out the meat. Pound, starting at the middle of each pork cutlet, moving out to the edges, until you have a uniform thickness of just under 1/4 inch. I know this sounds too thin, but go with it! It will cook quickly, will be tender and will not be too dry or thin once cooked! Set aside on a plate.
You will need 3 containers to contain seasoned flour, beaten egg and seasoned panko break crumbs. Set out your containers. In the first, combine flour with 2 tsp of the salt and 2 tsp of black pepper. Beat the 2 eggs into the second container, being sure to beat until it is fully combined. Put the remaining salt and pepper in with the Panko crumbs and toss to combine.
Dredge the pork cutlets in the flour on both sides, shaking off excess. Place into the egg container and fully coat both sides. Again, shake to ensure there is no excess egg remaining on the pork. Press into the plate of panko and then turn over and press backside to ensure a fully coated cutlet on both sides. Transfer to a plate. Continue for all of the cutlets. Set aside. If you are needing some time before heating the oil to fry the cutlets (I sometimes want to clean up the kitchen a bit before moving to the next step, as example), put the plated, coated cutlets into the refrigerator while you prep.
Breaded pork cutlets
Heat a large frying pan on med-high heat with 1/4 cup of grapeseeed oil. When oil is shimmering, begin placing the cutlets into the pan. These are so thin, they will cook in mere minutes, so do not walk away. Once you check the bottom side and it is fully browned and deliciously crispy looking, turn over. Fry 1-2 more minutes. Pull out the pork shnitzel cutlets once both sides are browned and place onto a cooling rack. Cook in batches, in order to not crowd the pan. If after the first batch, you need to add more oil, remove the pan from the heat, use an old rag and carefully wipe out the remaining oil and crumbs into the sink. Add new oil, wait until hot and start again!
When all are done, place the cooling rack on a sheet pan and let sit in a 275 degree F oven, while you cook some of my other German specialties, such as Red Cabbage and Squash or Spaetzle.
This recipe is one that I have dreamt about doing for years! I have had Spaetzle in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France, and it has NEVER disappointed me. I will admit, I was a bit intimidated to try making my own Spaetzle, but with an assist from my husband, John, it turned out pretty amazing!!
Spaetzle is actually a pretty simple side dish. It is a dough that is torn into small pieces, boiled in salted water and then either served directly, or dried and then sauteed in a hot pan with butter to borwn the outside and make it even more delicious!
Tools required
Large pot to boil water. The spaetzle pieces will rise to the top of the pan when cooked, so you want a pan that has some diameter and room
A spaetzle maker, such as this one. Most commonly, you can use a stainless steel hand grater to push the dough through into the boiling water, if you do not have a spaetzle maker (I am not sure who does have one!). A hand grater is something used in most kitchens and is what I use. A good example would be this hand held grater.
Note/Tip: The key to using the hand held grater is to press the dough through the flat side of the grater, scraping the dough pieces as they come through the back, into the boiling salted water. Honestly, this is really a 2 person job. I would not have been able to do it without my husband, John. One person can scrape the dough through the grater, and the other to use a knife on the backside to release the dough, as well as use a strainer or spider to pull the cooked noodles out of the water as they are ready.
A hand held spider or mesh strainer
Ingredients
2.25 cups of all purpose flour
1.5 tsp. fine sea salt
4 eggs
6 Tbsp. reduced fat milk (not skim)
Instruction
Set a very large dutch oven or other large vessel on the stove on high with 4 quarts of water and 2-3 tbsp of kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or into your mixer. Mix until fully combined. If the batter is too wet to pick up with your hands, add more flour until it is a workable dough that you are able to hold and manage. Do not overwork!!
Once dough is ready, cut into quarters and push through the backside/flat side of your grater, directly into the boiling water, one quarter at a time, removing the cooked spaetzle as it rises to the top of the water with your spider/strainer
Serving
Serve spaetzle hot, directly after draining, or, allow to cool a few minutes and sautee in butter in a pan, to allow for some delicious, amazing browning on the outside!
I served this spaetzle with my recipe for Pork Schnitzle, but I could see this being served with pork chops, pork loin, steak tips, for a breakfast with something sweet! There are so many options!! Make double the recipe and store some in the freezer safely for a few months to add a little European flair to your future recipes.
