I·ATE: Taste Germany

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Here we come with a new series of I-ATE articles based on books published by different EU institutios that highlight recipes from each European Union Member State. For this week’s I-ATE Food Term, we will focus on Germany.

Swabian-style roast beef with onions (Schwäbischer Zwiebelrostbraten)
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
• 4 rump steaks
• Olive or rapeseed oil
• 4 to 6 medium-sized onions
• 3 tablespoons of clarified butter
• 500 ml of beef stock
• 250 ml of dry red wine
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh thyme in a linen bag
To be served with sautéed potatoes and a mixed salad.

PREPARATION
The meat must be properly aged. It should be used at room temperature and not taken directly from the fridge before cooking. Incisions should be made in the fat of the meat on all sides and it should be coated with oil and allowed to marinate for at least 20 minutes. While waiting, slice the onions into rings that are 2 cm thick. Heat the clarified butter in a pan and fry the onion rings. Reduce the heat, add salt and cook until they are crunchy. Then remove them from the pan, drain them and place them on kitchen paper for a few moments to remove the excess fat. Keep warm. Without cleaning the pan, add a little oil, heat it to as high a temperature as possible and brown the meat for 3 minutes on each side. Remove the meat from the pan, place it on a plate and put it in an oven pre-heated to 90 °C for 15 to 20 minutes, so it can cook very slowly. While the meat is in the oven, deglaze the pan with the stock and wine, adding a bunch of thyme in a linen bag. Reduce to half the quantity and keep warm.

Meatballs with mashed potatoes and kohlrabi (Rindfleischfrikadellen mit Kartoffelpüree und Kohlrabi)
INGREDIENTS (serving 1 child – primary school)

For the meatballs:
Minced meat (beef) 60 g
Stale bread roll 1/2
Egg
Onion (chopped into cubes) 50 g
Mustard 2 g
Tomato ketchup 2 g
Iodized salt
Pepper
Paprika powder

For the mashed potatoes:
Potatoes (floury) 150 g
Milk, semi-skimmed 20 ml
Butter 2 g
Kohlrabi (fresh or frozen) 100 g
Gravy (instant product) 6 g
Water 60 ml
Nutmeg

PREPARATION
For the meatballs:
1. Soak the stale rolls in water until slightly soggy.
2. Break up the soggy rolls and mix with the minced meat, egg, chopped onions mustard and ketchup.
3. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
4. Form balls, place in a baking dish and bake in a preheated oven (180°) for 20 minutes.

For the mashed potatoes:
1. Mash the cooked hot potatoes, add milk and butter and stir until smooth.
2. Season with salt and nutmeg.
3. Cut the kohlrabi into sticks and steam them.
4. For the gravy, follow the instructions on the package.

 

Black Forest Cake
INGREDIENTS

For the shortcrust pastry: For the chocolate sponge cake: For the filling:
125g plain all-purpose flour (Type 550)
1 tbsp cocoa powder (no instant product)
50g sugar
1 pinch baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
5 tbsp soft butter
2 tsp cherries
4 eggs
100g sugar
100 g plain flour (Type 550)
25g cornflour
10g cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 pinch cinnamon powder
350g canned sour cherries
250ml cherry juice
2 tbsp cherries
2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
4 tsp sugar
1 packet powdered gelatine
3 tbsp cold water
800 ml whipped cream
40g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar


PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven and grease a 28 cm (11 inch) springform pan.
• Shortcrust pastry: Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into a mixing bowl, add butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and cherries. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until you get a smooth dough. Roll the dough out and line the bottom of the springform pan, prick the dough a few times with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes. Remove the pastry immediately from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Clean the springform pan, grease the bottom and line with baking paper.
• Chocolate sponge cake: Put the eggs into a large mixing bowl, use a handmixer at the highest speed and whisk the eggs until foamy. Slowly sprinkle the sugar and vanilla sugar into the egg
mixture while you continue whisking. Whisk for at least 2 minutes after the sugar is added. The egg mixture should be very fluffy and nearly white. Sift and mix the two flours, baking powder,
cinnamon and cocoa, and stir into the egg mixture quickly. Spoon the sponge dough into the prepared springform pan, flatten the surface, and bake it for about 30 minutes at 180°C/350°F.
Remove the sponge from the oven, remove the ring from the pan and let the sponge cool down. Carefully peel off the baking paper and cut the sponge in half horizontally.
• Cream filling: Blend the arrowroot/cornstarch with a little of the cherry juice in a saucepan, stir in the rest of the juice, and the 4 teaspoons sugar. Heat the liquid until it boils, stir occasionally, and let it simmer for a minute, add the well-drained cherries (set 14 cherries aside for decoration) and remove from the oven. When it is cool add the kirschwasser. Soak the gelatine in the cold water for ten minutes, warm it up while stirring until the gelatine has dissolved. Let it cool. Whip the cream until nearly stiff, add the gelatine, the sifted icing sugar and the vanilla sugar. Continue whipping until the cream is very stiff.
• Finishing: Put the shortcrust pastry on a serving plate. Spread the cherries on the bottom layer, leaving 1 cm (1/8 inch) uncovered around the edge. Add one-third of the cream and flatten with a cake spatula. Put a sponge layer on top and press lightly. Spread half of the remaining cream and add the second sponge layer. Fill a pastry bag (star-shaped nozzle) with 3 tablespoons of cream. Cover the entire cake, top and sides, with the remaining cream. Decorate your masterpiece with 14 cream roses, put a cherry on each rose, and sprinkle chocolate curls on the side and top of the cake. Refrigerate the black forest cherry cake for at least 3 hours.

Sources:

  • European Commission, Directorate-General Agriculture and Rural Development, 2013. Tastes of Europe: A culinary voyage through Europe in 27 recipes. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, pp 12-13
  • European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macao, 2018. Sweet Europe, pp 8-9
  • European Commission, 2016. Lunch at school: Recipe book. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, pp 7

Written by Marta Guillén Martínez – Communication Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament (Luxembourg). She holds a Degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Alicante, Spain and she did her European Voluntary Service on communication and european youth mobility in Milan, Italy. She speaks Spanish, Catalan, English and Italian.