Blaukraut And Spätzle

Today let's eat, think and speak German! When I was a child my mom told me in Germany "red" cabbage is called "blue" cabbage (blaukraut). After I made the dish, I told my mom over the telephone ... out of the blue (pun intended😁), I'm having red cabbage and at first, she could not recall what the vegetable was.😂 Old names die hard! What's more although she introduced me to Spätzle (also called Spätzli), Bavarians consume far more potatoes than Spätzli. It explains why we ... and now I ... serve cabbage (red or green) with potatoes, a delicious combination, about 90% of the time. It's faster to get into the pot.

Nevertheless, let's take a few easy-peasy, extra cooking steps to prepare 2 scrumptious recipes for Red, or is it Blue Cabbage and Spätzle  ... or is it Spätzli? It all depends on where in the world you live!:

Red Cabbage (or Blaukraut in German)

Ingredients:

Red cabbage, a large head {blue cabbage, Mamma!}

1 medium onion

1 bay leaf

Red or green cabbage works in the recipe.

1 large bouillon cube, any flavor (or substitute 1 teaspoon of salt)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Sprinkle of soy sauce (or Maggi, a German soy sauce)

1 teaspoon dried garlic

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 finely cut up tart apple

Optional: The next 2 ingredients make the Blaukraut dish spicy. Not traditionally German.

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

Directions:

1) Using a knife, shred the cabbage. It shreds itself in minutes if you slice in strips. Toss the shredded cabbage into a large 12-inch chef skillet or pan. Lightly brush the bottom of the pan with butter or vegetable oil if you wish. I don't, and the cabbage still cooks without sticking. Butter adds extra flavor. 

2) Dice and add the onions. The dish will be delicious with or without a finely chopped apple, but if you decide to cut one up toss it in also.

3) Next add the seasonings: a bay leaf, bouillon cube (or salt), pepper, garlic, parsley, nutmeg, optional cumin and caraway seeds; and vinegar.

4) Cover with a lip and simmer on low-medium heat for 20 - 25 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Watch towards the end to not overcook. I aim for firm, yet fully cooked cabbage. I also give it a final taste and add another pinch of seasonings, or vinegar if needed. (Should the vinegar be too sharp for your taste, a pinch of sugar will temper it. Normally the cabbage tastes delicious and exactly right without any sugar.)

The dish is super tasty warm or at room temperature. Vinegar gives Blaukraut about a 2 week, refrigerated shelf life.

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Spätzle (a pasta, or German dumpling)

Ingredients: 

(Makes about 2 servings and should be made fresh, not days in advance.)

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (I use a few turns of a nutmeg mill.)

1/2 teaspoon white pepper (I just give the white pepper a few shakes. Cooking is chemistry, yet not rocket science.🙂)

Directions:

1) Into a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, flour and milk. I like to pour the milk in last, a little at a time as I whisk, so the batter isn't too thin.

2) Add the salt, nutmeg and white pepper and keep whisking. You can always add more milk or flour to get the right consistency. (There's no risk of ruining the batch, only the risk of ending up with a bigger batch than desired.)

4) Boil a large pot of salted (use 1 teaspoon salt) water.

3) We don't own a Spätzle maker. (Unless you make Spätzle often it's not worth buying one. Also, we don't want to clean it.) We dip a teaspoon into the boiling water then scoop up the dough to drop into the boiling pot. Good enough! Work fast so all the dumplings have about the same cooking time. Should you make a big quantity, cook them in batches. Boil each batch of Spätzle for 2 minutes.

5) Strain and sprinkle with dried parsley Butter is optional, between you and the bathroom scale.

Red Cabbage and Spätzle are usually eaten as side dishes with ham or Bratwurst. Yet all by themselves, you have a protein, starch and vegetable. Guten Appetit! 

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You Are What You Eat

Good nutrition builds body cells, keeps us healthy and helps us stay mentally alert. With spring here and summer fast approaching, it's the perfect time to add healthy foods, including an assortment of fruits and vegetables to your diet. The price is right, and you can afford to be adventurous. Have fun mixing it up. Eat a variety of colors and experiment with new recipes.

Recently I tried making homemade tomato sauce. It was nearly as convenient as opening a jar, and I thought tasted better and fresher without the unnecessary preservatives -- with names I can't even pronounce.

Then I wanted a cool, sweet treat, so I threw blueberries and skim milk into a blender and added sweetener to get a refreshing, low fat - high protein smoothie. It's cheaper than ice cream, good for you and delicious. (You may not want to give up ice cream entirely; just reserve it as a special treat.)

Both recipes are keepers. See if you agree:

Homemade Tomato Sauce

2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes (Break the tomatoes up with your fingers.)

Extra virgin olive oil for sautéing garlic, onions and vegetables in a skillet --

1 medium onion, diced and sautéed

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano [all the spices to taste]

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic (or sautée 4 cloves garlic)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Optional:

Add any, or all the following to the tomato sauce --

1 small bell pepper, diced and sautéed

1 small zucchini, diced and sautéed
2 or 3 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed

Separately, brown and add some (1/4 - 1/2 pound will do) lean ground beef

Throw the above into a large pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over cooked pasta of your choice. Makes 6 servings.

Berry Smoothie

Drop into a blender:

1 cup skim milk

Choose one: 1/3 cup frozen strawberries; or 1/3 cup frozen blueberries; or use fresh berries and 3 ice cubes

2 teaspoons sugar, or a natural sweetner.

Blend for a minute, or until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Makes one serving, so multiply for the number of servings needed. Enjoy!