Cucumbers are not just for salads! With this warm cucumber soup you bring variety to your table. This simple recipe from Saxony-Anhalt takes so little time to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers

600 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes

3 cups cold water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup cream

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon grated onions

1 tablespoon finely chopped dill

Preparation:

1. Peel cucumbers and cut in half.
2. Remove seed and cut cucumber into 1 cm cubes.
3. Cover potatoes with water, add salt and pepper and cook until done.
4. Pass potatoes through a sieve together with cooking liquid.
5. Place the puree in saucepan and fold in cream, milk, grated onions and cucumber.
6. Leave soup to simmer for 5 minutes. Add dill. Serve.

Döppekooche/Döbbekooche is a form of potato cake made of grated potatoes, finely minced onions, eggs and spices and cover in sausage pieces or strips of bacon, which is baked in a cast-iron pot (a döppe) like a cake (kuchen) and served in slices. The resulting potato-onion-egg mix is then baked in the oven for about 2 hours until it forms a crust, considered to be the best part of he dish. Purists insist that the dish should not be stirred during the baking period in order to keep the crust intact, however, it is also acceptable to stir it so as to distribute the crust throughout the dish.

Ingredients:

For the Döppekuchen
1.5 kg floury potatoes, peeled and grated
100 g bacon
2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 eggs
1 pinch grated nutmeg
Salt
White Pepper
A knob of butter

For the Apple Sauce
400g apples
Juice of ½ lemon
1½ tbsp sugar
A little butter and salt, to serve

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Grease a baking dish (approx 25cm diameter) with a little of the butter and cover the bottom with bacon slices. Put the grated potatoes in a colander and press out and drain the excess liquid into a bowl. Leave it to drain for about 10 mins.
3. Mix the potatoes, eggs, onion and nutmeg and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Put the potato mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 1hr 45mins. If the surface starts to go too dark, cover loosely with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
4. While the potato cake is cooking, make the apple sauce: Peel and dice the apples. Put in a small pan with the juice of ½ lemon, 2 tbsp water and 1½ tbsp sugar. Heat gently until the apples are really soft, then squash with a spoon. Add a little butter and salt to serve.
5. Take the cake out of the oven, turn it out of the dish and serve in slices with the apple sauce.

Eel in dill sauce is a common dish from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region of Germany.

Ingredients:

1 kg fresh eel
1 carrot
1 parsley root
1 onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
lemon juice
pepper
sugar
3 tablespoons dill, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Preparation:

1. Thoroughly wash the eel in warm water. Cut into pieces and rub with salt.
2. Wash and slice the carrot and parsley root. Peel the onion and quarter them. Bring 4 ¼ cups of water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add eel pieces, allowing them to marinate for about 20 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a bowl. Mix in the flour. Add 2 cups of the eel water, lemon juice, pepper, and sugar to taste.
4. Add the chopped dill, parsley, and eel pieces. Allow eel to marinate for another 5 minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes.

Pronounced /ˈbrɑːtˌheɪrɪŋ/, Brathering is a popular dish from northern Germany made of fried fresh herrings that marinate for several days before serving. Serve for lunch with fried potatoes.

Ingredients:

4 fresh herrings ready to be cooked
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
flour
butter or oil for frying
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
8 ounce jar mixed pickles drained
8 ounce jar cocktail onions
4 hot chilies

Preparation:

A classic biergarten food, Obatzda, also spelled obatzter and obazda, combines a few simple ingredients to create a brightly colored cheese spread with surprisingly complex flavor. Typical accompaniments for Obatzda are Bavarian pretzels, rye bread, rounds of red radish or spiral-cut white radish. Perfect for the Oktoberfest party!

Ingredients:

• 500 g ripe Camembert
• 40 g soft butter
• 200 g cream cheese
• 80 g finely chopped onions
• Salt, pepper
• Paprika, caraway
• 2 tbsp of chopped chives
• 60 g finely sliced onion rings
• 6-8 tbsp of beer to taste

Preparation:

1. Mash the Camembert with a fork and add the butter, cream cheese and onions.
2. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and caraway to taste. Add beer gradually and stir.
3. Spoon a portion of Obatzda onto each plate and garnish with onion rings, chives and caraway.
4. Serve preferably with rye bread, wholemeal bread and radishes.

Recipe source: https://goo.gl/MeDVwG.

A Weißwurst, literally white sausage, is a traditional Bavarian sausage made from minced veal and pork back bacon. The Weißwurst was created in Munich on February 22, 1857, and has since become a very important part of Bavaria cooking and lifestyle. Legend has it that the Weißwurst was invented by mistake in 1857, when an innkeeper in Munich ran out of sheep casings for his Bratwürste and in order to feed his hungry guests, used tough and chewy pork casings instead. It is usually flavored with parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger, and cardamom, although there are some variations. Then the mixture is stuffed into pork casings and separated into individual sausages measuring about ten to twelve centimeters in length and three to four centimeters in thickness.

As they are very perishable, Weißwürste traditionally were manufactured early in the morning and prepared and eaten as a snack between breakfast and lunch; there is a saying that the sausages should not be allowed to hear the noon chime of the church bells. Traditionally, Weißwürste may only be served until midday because preservatives are not used, the meat is not smoked, and hence the sausage is made fresh every day. Indeed, they are sometimes called morning sausages. Before modern refrigeration technologies, in summertime the sausages would go bad before nightfall. Even today, most Bavarians never eat Weißwürste after lunchtime (though it is perfectly acceptable to have a lunch consisting of Weißwürste at, say, half past one).

The sausages are heated in water—well short of boiling—for about ten minutes, which will turn them greyish-white because no color-preserving nitrite is used in Weisswurst preparation.

Ingredients:

• 36 g salt
• 600 g lean veal meat (“veal stew meat”) at refrigerator temperature, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 300 g lean pork meat, cut into 1 cm cubes, partially frozen
• 400 g pork fat (pork belly without the skin, etc.) at refrigerator temperature, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 300 g ice
• 100 g pork skin
• ½ tsp dried lemon peel
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• pinch of dried ginger
• pinch of freshly grated cardamom
• pinch of dried mace
• 10 g onion (don’t chop!)
• 20 g parsley, chopped
• sausage casings (hog)

Preparation:

• Prepare casings per instructions (soak in warm water until pliable, rinse outside and inside). Set aside.
• Bring 1 liter of water to a boil. Simmer pork skin and onion for ca. 15 minutes. Remove from water, run through meat grinder, set aside.
• Combine lean meat (pork, veal), spices, salt and half of the ice. Blend in the food processor until you have a smooth mix. Set aside, refrigerate.
• Blend pork fat in the food processor until smooth.
• Blend in lean meat mix.
• Blend in remaining ice until the mixture is smooth and no ice clumps remain.
• With the food processor mix in ground pork skin and parsley, blend just enough to distribute evenly.
• Stuff 16 sausages using a sausage-stuffer or a sausage-stuffing attachment. Do not overstuff, when twisting the links, leave a little room for expansion in each link. If necessary, remove large air bubbles by piercing the casing with a skewer. Tie off the links.
• In a large stock pot heat up water to 80°C. Check with thermometer.
• Place sausages in hot water, leave in for 30 minutes, adjust heat to keep temperature constant at 80°C. Check with thermometer.
• Remove from hot water, place in cold water to cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To serve, heat up with some fresh parsley in hot beef stock (or salted water). Do not boil or it may cause the sausages to split.
• Serve with fresh pretzels and sweet mustard (“Weißwurstsenf”) and a tall cold glass of Weißbier.

While veal is the traditional choice for authentic German Wiener Schnitzel, chicken or pork is an easy and delicious substitution. And this pan-seared schnitzel is a lightened up version of the favorite fried cutlets, yet is just as tender and yummy as its counterpart.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless, thinly sliced chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Coat with some olive oil.
3. Season chicken cutlets with salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Create 3 shallow dishes for dredging and dipping:- 1/2 cup flour with 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
   – 1/4 cup milk and 1 egg, lightly beaten
   – Combined bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic powder
5. Dredge chicken cutlets first in flour mixture, followed by a dip in the milk/egg mixture and finally dredge in bread crumb mixture, shaking off excess.
6. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add 2 chicken breast halves to pan; cook 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Remove chicken from skillet and place on baking sheet. Continue with remaining 2 chicken breasts, adding more oil if necessary.
7. Bake chicken in a 175 C oven and allow to cook for another 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Photo credit: https://goo.gl/3otZkc.

This creamy sausage, potato and sauerkraut soup is a little taste of Oktoberfest you can have any time of the year!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 400 g Bratwurst, halved and sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cooked diced potatoes
• 1 cup sauerkraut
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• black pepper

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions and saute for about five minutes, until tender.
3. Add flour, stirring until completely combined. Cook for one minute, then add the chicken broth and milk.
4. Turn heat to medium high, then cook stirring often until broth begins to thicken.
5. Reduce heat to medium then add the sliced Bratwurst, diced potatoes, sauerkraut and parsley. Simmer for five minutes and remove from heat.
6. Serve sprinkled with black pepper.

Geschnetzeltes is a popular German dish for the busy cook. A creamy sauce with pork, mushrooms and onions, it is traditionally served with Spätzle, cucumber salad or potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg lean pork, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 300 g fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
• 2 beef stock cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat and brown the pork on all sides. Transfer the pork to a plate and set aside.
2. Add the onions to the skillet, adding more oil if necessary, and saute until translucent and beginning to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mushroom mixture to pork and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in the skillet and whisk in the flour, continuing to whisk until the mixture is a rich caramel brown. Add the milk and heavy cream, whisking continually, until the mixture is smooth and thickened.
4. Add the paprika and crumble in the beef stock cubes and whisk until smooth.
5. Return the meat mixture to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more milk if the sauce is too thick, or add a flour slurry to thicken.
6. Serve immediately with hot Spätzle or fresh cucumber salad.

Image credit https://goo.gl/e5wkyh

The combination of tangy cider vinegar, onions, and smoked bacon makes this German side dish absolutely addictive. It’s so good, you’ll want to eat it as the main meal! There is something about adding bacon to recipes that sends the dish over the top. Between the crispy tenderness of the sauteed cabbage and the crunchy bacon bits, this easy side dish is pure perfection.