Gourmet Group: German

Apricot Kielbasa Slices – yields 4 dozen

Ingredients:

1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 jar (12 ounces) apricot preserves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, brown sausage; drain and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet; cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Return sausage to the pan; cook for 5-6 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.
  2. Serve with pretzel sticks instead of toothpicks.

Boiled Beef with Horseradish Sauce

Ingredients:

3 lbs rump roast or round roast or beef brisket
2 quarts cold water
2 teaspoons salt
1 onion
3 whole cloves
4 medium carrots, quartered
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium turnip, quartered
1 leek, washed and quartered
8 peppercorns

Sauce:

2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of the beef stock
½ lemon juice
pepper
sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, place roast with the salt and water.
  2. Let stand for 20 minutes.
  3. Then bring slowly to a boil, skimming frequently.
  4. Add onion, carrot, turnip, celery, leek, and spices– cover lower heat and simmer 2½ hours or until meat is very tender, when pierced with a fork.
  5. Drain the beef, and place on a serving platter, covering to keep warm.
  6. Strain the stock pressing all the vegetables to extract all the juices.
  7. Taste stock for seasoning, and remove one cup of stock to make the sauce.
  8. Serve the rest of the stock as a soup, before eating the beef.
  9. For the sauce– melt the butter, saute the onion over med. heat until soft.
  10. Stir in the flour, and cook until lightly browned.
  11. Add the one cup of stock, horseradish and lemon juice along with salt, pepper, and sugar, to taste.
  12. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring, simmer 3 minutes.
  13. Remove from heat and add the cream.
  14. Serve the beef with boiled potatoes, and the sauce separately.

German Style Peas and Carrots – serves 10

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups carrots, diced
1 cup water
1 vegetable bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion to the olive oil and saute until the onion turns translucent and slightly soft.
  2. Add the carrots and cook for another minute.
  3. Add water, vegetable bouillon, salt, and pepper.
  4. Bring to a boil, add the frozen peas, turn down heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until the carrots have the desired consistency.
  5. Add the heavy cream and parsley, taste for seasonings and serve.

German Red Cabbage – serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
5 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup sliced green apples
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

  1. Place butter, cabbage, apples, and sugar into a large pot. Pour in the vinegar and water, and season with salt, pepper, and clove.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the cabbage is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

German Apple Cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples – peeled, cored and diced

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9×13 inch cake pan.
  2. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
  3. Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.