Make Your Own Oktoberfest Meal
October 29, 2011How to Enjoy the End of October? – Make your own Oktoberfest meal!
A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending an Oktoberfest celebration at an authentic German restaurant. The restaurant featured an outdoor courtyard surrounded by carved wooden booths full of people, and a live ʻOom Pah Pahʼ band played late into
the night. The sun was setting, the beers were flowing, and all around the courtyard, diners joined into song, while savoring their delicious meals.
Though October is winding down, I found myself drooling at the thought of this food memory, and I couldnʼt resist the urge to make an Oktoberfest inspired meal!
I decided to prepare 3 components for my meal: a meat, a veggie, and a starch dish.
For my meat dish, I purchased some sausages, or Würste, and sliced the surface of the sausages in a criss-cross pattern. Cook these on the barbeque, or bake in the oven until done.
For my veggie dish, I decided to use an old family recipe to make cooked red cabbage, or Blaukraut. This recipe may taste a bit different than an authentic German recipe, but I promise you – it is delicious and will have you going back for seconds (or thirds, if you are like me).
Corinneʼs Cooked Red Cabbage
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola oil
1 Head Red Cabbage
10 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 C. White Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
-Shred/Slice cabbage thinly
-Heat oil in large pot on medium-high heat
-Add cabbage and cook over medium, stirring often, until cabbage is coated, and begins
to soften (Cabbage will start to reduce in size within minutes)
-Add brown sugar (Feel free to add more or less, depending on your preference)
-Add vinegar, and stir to evenly distribute
-Add salt and pepper to taste
-Put a lid on the pot, and let cook until cabbage is softened, but continue to stir
occasionally, so cabbage does not stick to the bottom of the pot, and cooks evenly. The
cabbage takes about 45 minutes to fully cook.
For my starch dish, I wanted to try something new, and potato pancakes, or Kartoffelpuffer sounded like just the thing! I combined a few recipes & instructions that I found online to create my own version.
Perfect Potato Pancakes
Ingredients:
5 potatoes, washed & unpeeled (I used red potatoes)
1/4 c. red or white onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp flour
Pepper to taste
Vegetable or Canola oil
Directions:
-Grate potatoes and put in medium sized mixing bowl (measures approx. 4 cups of potato)
-Add diced onion, flour, salt and pepper, and stir to combine mixture
-Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a fry pan
-Keep on high heat
-Drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil (I used an ice cream scoop to keep size consistent)
-Fry until brown (few minutes), and then flip to fry the other side
-When done, take out of fry pan and place on a napkin/paper towel lined plate (to absorb any excess oil)
Some recipes recommended to serve with applesauce, but we served ours with sour cream & chopped green onion, as well as the North American classic – Ketchup!
Set the table with some neutral colored linens, add a few pumpkins, and enjoy your own fantastically fun Oktoberfest themed meal!
And always remember, ʻIn Work & Play, to Savor the everydayʼ!
Corinne Johnson www.iheartmondays.blogspot.com
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