German Side Dishes (Red cabbage recipe and German potato salad recipe)

When I was little, my family moved to Germany for two years. We lived in a little village in Bavaria. I went to first and second grade in a German school. I spoke German with a Bavarian accent. In fact, when we returned to the U.S., the American school concerned I wouldn't be able to get along in an all English classroom so they assigned me a German classroom aide to make sure I transitioned well. To this day I am wistful for all things German; food, countryside, language, architecture, traditions. My big plans for my upcoming 40th birthday are a trip back to Germany. I haven't been there in over 20 years. Far too long for some place that still feels like home.

Occasionally I have an urge to cook a full-out German dinner. There are a lot of the ingredients we can't even get here. (If anyone knows how to get my hands on some quark, let me know. I have longed for quarktorte for years.) But, I've gotten pretty good at rotkohl, kartofflesalat, spaetzle, knodel. As I write this it dawns on me these are all side dishes. Maybe I need to try my hand at some main dishes.

So, when a friend requested some ideas for German dishes, how could I resist but to actually make a German dinner. In the end, it was quasi-German. Along with the rotkohl and kartoffelsalat, I made pork chops and braised kale. I'm not sure how German kale is, but it went well. I threw in some caraway seeds to try to tie it in a bit.

ROTKOHL (German Braised Red Cabbage)
INGREDIENTS

1 small head of red cabbage
1 large granny smith apple
4 cloves
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1) Slice/shred the head of red cabbage as you would for coleslaw. Dice the apple.
2) Put all of the ingredients together in a large pot. 
3) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours. Stir occasionally. The red cabbage should not be too liquidy, but if it seems dry, you may wish to add a couple of tablespoons of water.

That's it! All done. 









KARTOFFELSALAT (Warm German Potato Salad)
INGREDIENTS
3 cups diced potatoes, I used Yukon Gold so I did not peel them

2-3 slices of bacon 
1 onion, diced
1/4 vinegar
2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parsley

1) Place diced potatoes in cold water. Add a good bit of salt. (I  don't measure, but maybe 1/2 - 1 tablespoon). Boil over medium heat until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.




2) Meanwhile, dice and cook the bacon until it is crispy. Scoop the cooked bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel. 
3) Cook the onion in the same pan the bacon was cooked in with the bacon fat. (If you want a little less fat, you can drain off some of the bacon grease, but this is a big part of the flavoring.)



4) When the onions are soft, carefully add vinegar and sugar to the pan. Stir and scrape all of the bacon bits from the bottom of the pan.
5) While everything is still hot, place potatoes in a serving bowl. Pour the onion dressing over the top. Sprinkle on parsley. Stir together.

Simple and tasty.