It's All About German Cooking

German style cooking finds a home in America.

The German cuisine has contributed a great deal to the character of American food. Our meat-dominated meals are German in tradition. Eggs and meat combinations like ham and eggs is a gift from that land. It was the Germans who popularized the combination of meat and fruits, pork chops,applesauce,turkey and cranberries . Our cravings for potato salad,pretzel and pickles would never have been introduced by the settlers from Germany. Also for the savory and sweet & sour contrasting tastes   of relishes, sauerbraten, gingerbread, pickled fish, stuffed cabbage are all German foods. Our sour dough breads, black breads, and the caraway in our rye are German in origin and many of our slow-cooked pot roasts owe their presence on our tables to German immigrants who arrived on these shores, not to mention the jam filled pancakes we could never have managed without.

Most German woman are formidable bakers, producing an extraordinary array of candies, cookies and cakes the most famous of which may be the Schwarzwalden Kirschtorte. Unlike the French, who use butter in their cooking, while most Americans besides Paula Deen use oil and the Germans use bacon fat and lard in their cooking, Germans also love to cook with pork and poor sausages (worst) abound, crumbled bacon finds its way into an infinite number of dishes which includes innumerable amounts of hams, the most famous of which is probably westphalian, along with this article is a recipe for Sauerbraten which is a pot-roast marinated in spiced vinegar please try it then e-mail us to let us know how you enjoyed it.

Sauerbraten

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 12 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 boneless beef chuck roast, or beef rump roast or bottom round roast (4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 5 medium carrots, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
• 2 celery ribs, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the water, vinegar, cloves, bay leaves, salt and brown sugar. Remove 2 cups to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a 2-gal. reseal able plastic bag. Add roast; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1-2 days, turning twice each day.
• Discard marinade and spices. Pat roast dry; dredge in flour. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown roast in oil on all sides. Transfer to a small roasting pan. Add the onion, carrots, celery and reserved marinade.
• Cover and bake at 325° for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. With a slotted spoon, remove meat and vegetables to a serving platter. Strain cooking juices; thicken if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

The Handicapped Chef, Carlton Haynes is owner of Triple H Catering and Consulting service and Daddy Guster B.B.Q. Inc for more information E-mail us thehandicappedchef@gmail.com