A simple, classic and traditional German recipe, Eier Frikasse is a great go-to meal with minimal ingredients and prep time.
Some of the best recipes are the simplest recipes. The ones that don’t even require you to leave your house and go to the market for additional ingredients. These recipes are some of my favorite. With non-complex ingredients, easy preparation and great taste, they are by far some of the best everyday recipes that every good cook should have in their recipe file.
Here’s the recipe:
Eier Frikasse (Eggs w/ Vegetables & Creamy White Sauce)
4 hard boiled eggs (sliced)
1 c chopped carrots (cooked)
1 c frozen green peas
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper (to taste)
fresh parsley (optional garnish)
Preparation:
In a large sauce pot, melt the butter and then sprinkle over the flour and whisk until smooth.
Keep whisking frequently until it turns light brown in color.
Add the chicken stock and keep whisking until smooth.
Bring to a boil and then season with salt and pepper.
Tender ground beef, seasoned to perfection and wrapped in a large cabbage leaf, Kohlrouladen is an edible gift that your tastebuds can unwrap.
This dish is a favorite of mine and I think it is because it is such a simple but delicious German comfort food. The meat is kept tender and juicy thanks to the cabbage and in my version, I season it with spices and a bit of dijon mustard.
It also is perfect for preparing ahead of time and/or making for guests because everyone gets their own individual serving. Paired with some boiled potatoes and steamed veggies, this is the type of meal that makes a great day even better.
I tailored my normal recipe in this case to make Abendessen für Zwei or Dinner for Two. It is perfect for enjoying a meal at home with the one you love.
Here’s the recipe:
Kohlrouladen (German Stuffed Cabbage)
2 large cabbage leaves (about 8-9 inches)
1/3 lb ground beef
1/4 c finely chopped white onion
1 TBSP dijon mustard
2 tsp dried oregano
3-4 TBSP plain bread crumbs
1 whole egg
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
salt & pepper (to taste)
For the cooking process:
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
3 c beef broth
For the gravy:
2 T butter
2 T flour
remaining beef stock/cooking liquid
Preparation:
Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water by placing them in the water for 15-30 seconds and then placing in a cold water bath to immediately cool the cabbage leaves. NOTE: the cabbage leaves should be soft and tender but still quite green.
To prepare the meat: place all of the ingredients (except for the cabbage) in a bowl and mix it together with your hands until it is well incorporrated.
Then divide the meat mixture in half and create two large meatballs.
Lay the cabbage leaves open and place one meatball at the bottom (near the stem) in each of the pieces of cabbage. Fold the sides in on top of the meatball and then roll the cabbage to create a little package for the meatball.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot. Then add the kohlrouladen, seam side down and lightly brown them on both sides.
Then add 1 cup of the beef broth and cover with a lid and allow the kohlrouladen to cook for 15-20 minutes or until the meat is well done, adding more broth as needed.
When they are done cooking, remove from the pan and make the gravy.
Melt the butter, then sprinkle over the flour and whisk until smooth. Then add the remaining beef stock and/or cooking liquid and keep whisking to make a smooth gravy.
Plate each of the kohlrouladen and top with the gravy.
Literally translating as fried potatoes, these German fried potatoes are far from ordinary. Crispy potatoes and onions and topped fresh herbs and spices, they are delicious any time and any day.
Their name says it all “Bratkartoffeln.” “Brat” is German for frying and “kartoffeln” means potatoes. This dish is literally translated means fried potatoes but the potatoes are not simply fried. They are enhanced with onions and herbs to make this a delicious side dish or main meal.
Traditionally, Bratkartoffeln also includes bacon or speck. Although my recipe is the vegetarian version of this classic dish, they are still just as delicious.
Here’s the recipe:
Bratkartoffeln
1 potato (pre-boiled)
2 TBSP sunflower oil (or any neutral oil)
1 scallion (finely chopped)
2 TBSP white onion (finely chopped)
2 T fresh parsley (finely chopped)
1 tsp dried oregano
salt (to taste)
Preparation:
Boil the potato until it is tender. Drain, pat dry and then cut into squares.
Heat a frying pan with oil and then add the potatoes and let them brown for 2-3 minutes.
Then add the white onion and scallion and continue to cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Season with the oregano and salt and cook for another couple of minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned and crispy.
Then plate up the potatoes on a dish, sprinkle with the remaining scallion and the chopped parsley.
Light, fluffy yeast doughnuts, dusted with sugar and filled with Oma’s marmalade.
There is nothing quite like a Berliner! I will never forget the first time I tried one. It was my first time in Germany and my husband and I visited a bakery in Leipzig and introduced me to this beautiful German specialty.
Germany has so many wonderful varieties of breads, cakes and baked goods. I am always so thrilled to visit bakeries in Germany because it is always such a delightful experience.
But, living outside of Germany means that many of these beloved baked goods are not so easily accessible. But this recipe, and many of my other German recipes are a great solution. I love to prepare them for my husband and I hope that you like them and this recipe too!
Here’s the recipe:
Berliners (German Yeast Doughnuts with Oma’s Marmalade)
For the dough:
2 2/3 c all purpose flour (+more for kneading and dusting)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c melted butter
2/3 c warm milk
3 tsp (10 g) dry active yeast
2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
For the filling:
1 – 1.5 c Oma Erika’s marmalade (or your favorite jam)
For the topping:
Powdered sugar or granulated sugar (dusted according to your preference)
Preparation:
To prepare the dough: in a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm milk and sugar and stir well. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs.
Add the melted butter to the yeast mixture and stir well. Keep stirring and add the eggs. Then mix together the flour with the salt in a separate bowl. Stirring constantly, add the flour mixture in batches to the yeast mixture.
Continue stirring until a dough forms (it will start to get difficult to stir by hand at this point but don’t worry). Then place the dough on a floured surface and knead it well for 7-8 minutes. Then cover it with a dish towel and let it rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes.
Once the dough has risen, cut the dough into even pieces and roll them each into a ball.
Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, dusted with a little bit of flour. Then cover the dough balls again with a dish towel and place them in a warm place and allow them to rise again for another 30 minutes.
Heat a large heavy stock pot with oil. Test the heat of the oil using a wooden spoon. If bubbles start to form around the spoon, then the oil is hot enough.
Carefully place each of the doughnuts in the oil and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
Then place them on a paper towel lined plate and allow the excess oil to drain.
Continue until all of the doughnuts are fried.
Then using a “donut jelly filler” proceed to fill each doughnut with the jam, being careful not to overfill.
Then dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar, serve & enjoy!
An irresistible German treat, Quarkspitzen are like German doughnut holes. Golden brown and crispy on the outside but delicate and tender on the inside.
A visit to the German Christmas markets or to the annual Kat (a large local carnival with rides, games and food) would not be complete without buying a few Quarkspitzen. Before I even knew what they were, I was interested just from the very smell of them cooking. Made from quark, a type of dairy that is the consistency of a thick yogurt or sour cream.
Although Christmastime is more than six months away, there’s nothing like recalling this and the myriad of marvelous Christmas treats from the German Christmas markets.
Here’s the recipe:
Quarkspitzen (German Doughnut Holes)
3 T melted butter
300g quark
3 T corn starch
1.5 – 2 c all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp almond extract (optional)
2 tsp baking powder
oil (for frying)
powdered sugar (for dusting the quarkspitzen after frying)
Preparation:
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and the sugar.
Then add the eggs and continue to whisk.
Mix together the corn starch, baking powder and flour.
Gradually add in the flour mixture and the quark, half at a time, rotating between the two of them.
Then add the lemon juice and stire just until it is combined.
Set the batter aside for 10-15 minutes and fill a large stock pot with oil.
To fry the quarkspitzen, dip a spoon in the oil and then into the quarkspitzen batter and place into the fryer to create a roughly oval shape. Fry until golden brown on each side and then place on a paper towel lined plate.
Continue until all of the dough has been used.
Dust the quarkspitzen with powdered sugar, or if you prefer, granulated sugar.
Soft and tender, freshly baked pretzels. It is like taking a trip to Germany without stepping foot outside of your kitchen.
Pretzels are one of the first snack foods that I remember eating as a kid outside of my favorites (cucumber & bell peppers — don’t judge me, I’ve always loved my veggies, lol!). My parents would buy these massive five pound bags of pretzels and I used to love to grab a handful of them.
Well, not much has changed from my childhood days. I still love pretzels. Every time my husband and I go to Germany, I always have to get at least one during our trip. Hey, we even had pretzels served during our “Kaffee und Kuchen” (German for “Coffee and Cake”) on our wedding day. After our wedding we were still eating all of the leftover pretzels and you know what, they were still so good (thanks to our lovely local German bakery).
Plus, if you have not seen the episode of Mister Roger’s neighborhood when he goes to the pretzel factory, do yourself a favor and watch it. It inspires me and makes me smile today just as it did when I was a kid. Mister Rogers was a brilliant person, that I am still learning from to this very day. He had such a sincere compassion and love for people and also for pretzels too!
Well, as you can see, I am a pretzel fan to say the least. But without further adieu, aahhhemm, the recipe…
Here’s the recipe:
Homemade German Pretzels “Bretzels”
1.5 c flour
2 tsp dry active yeast
2/3 c warm water
1 T honey
1.5 T oil
1 tsp salt
1 T baking soda
corse sea salt (to taste, sprinkled onto of the pretzels just before baking.
Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine the yeast, honey, 1 T of oil and warm water. Stir well and set aside.
In the meantime, combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
Then add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and stops sticking to the bowl.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes.
Then lightly oil a bowl with the remaining half a tablespoon of oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel and place the dough in a warm place to rise for one hour.
After one hour, it is time to shape the pretzels.
Take a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll into a ball.
Then roll it out into a long thin rope.
Make a U-shape with the rope and then fold one end over the other to create an “x.”
Then flip this “x” shape over to the other side of the dough and set aside.
Continue until all of the pretzels are shaped.
Then boil a large pot of water and add the baking soda.
Place each pretzel in the water for 20-30 seconds, turing them halfway in between.
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle the course sea salt on top of each pretzel and bake them on 200C/392F for about 15 minutes (or until they are golden brown).
Tender & flavorful German meatballs, boiled in a seasoned broth and doused in a delicious dijon mustard and caper white sauce. Paired with boiled potatoes, this is one of my favorite German comfort food dishes.
I love that there are so many practical and yet delicious recipes in German cooking. The more I learn about this beautiful cuisine, the more I am delighted to cook it.
This recipe just so happens to be a favorite of my hubby. He doesn’t always make requests for certain meals, but this one, I noticed he liked it a lot. That makes me even happier to make it for him. And you know what, I like it too. I hope you do as well.
Here’s the recipe:
German Meatballs in a White Caper Dijon Sauce or Kochklopse or “Königsberger Klopse“
For the stock:
3 bay leaves
10-12 capers
1 onion (quartered)
salt (to taste)
For the meatballs:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 large onion (finely diced)
3-4 T dijon mustard
2 eggs
1/3-1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 T dried oregano
salt & pepper (to taste)
For the gravy:
3 T butter
3 T flour
cooking stock (that the meatballs cooked in)
2 T dijon mustard
15-20 capers
salt & pepper (to taste, if needed)
Preparation:
Start by preparing the stock: Fill a large stock pot with water. Then add the bay leaves, capers, onion and salt. Place on the stove and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, prepare your meatballs.
To prepare the meatballs: Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add the onion, dijon mustard, eggs, breadcrumbs, oregano, salt and pepper.
Then mix together the mixture using your hands until it is well combined.
Then shape the meat into large balls and gently drop into the boiling stock.
Allow the meatballs to cook for about 40-45 minutes, monitoring the water levels occasionally to ensure that there is sufficient liquid (if not, then add some more water).
Pre-cooked…The meatballs are done boiling & it smells so good!
Once the meatballs are done cooking, remove them from the pot and place them on a plate.
Then place a colander in a bowl and drain the stock. Set the stock aside for the gravy.
To make the gravy: Start by making a roux. Melt the butter in your stock pot and then add the flour and whisk constantly until it comes together. Then add the stock liquid while whisking constantly until smooth.
Bring to a boil and add the dijon mustard, capers, salt and pepper and whisk for anotherr minute or two.
