May

A Slice of Southern Germany – Laura’s vegetarian recipes!

My uni house is comprised of 5 women: a Bulgarian residing in Portugal, a German, and three Brits. Throughout the year, we decided to take the opportunity to share our traditional cuisine – we had a great time explaining toad in the hole, pigs in blankets and shepard’s pie! Over nights of eating our dishes, we shared interesting anecdotes about our respective cultures. Laura, our resident Bavarian vegetarian, has teamed up with me today to share some recipes from her region. All the links to the recipes will be at the bottom, we hope you try these out!

Knödel mit Soβe

This dish is mushrooms, onions, and dumplings with a special creamy beige sauce. This dish is traditionally Bavarian and would be something that her grandparents might make. It certainly wouldn’t be cooked just for one person casually!

On German night, we had two types of dumplings – potato dumplings and semmelknödel (bread dumplings). However, there are lots of different types and can have fillings like spinach or sauerkraut. The ones we ate were from a packet mix, but they can absolutely be homemade! Simply boil them and add the sauce on top for a hearty meal.

You may wish to add meat to this (like schnitzel), but the dumplings will be filling enough, so it isn’t necessary! It’s also worth noting that no other vegetables are included, as it is not traditional to eat it this way. For the sauce, Laura has a large tub of the powder (Rahmsoβe), but it’s possible to make it from scratch using cream, vegetable broth and butter.

Kaiserschmarrn

This dish wasn’t made on German night, but I wish it was! It is technically Austrian but is also consumed in the German alpine region, so it qualifies. Kaiserschmarrn is a large, sweet pancake that is roughly an inch thick, which is then ripped apart, topped with icing sugar, and served with apple sauce. This can be served as a main or a dessert, which I think is very exciting!

Laura recommends two large pancakes for four people, but of course this can be smaller for a dessert serving. It’s certainly not healthy, but it is quoted as ‘delicious’ – though I will mention that Laura is the designated maker of these in her household!

The pancake is designed to be fluffier and much sweeter than a British pancake or crepe. As it is cooked, it is ripped to allow each portion to become slightly crispy and brown. The apple sauce on the side can be homemade or shop bought.

Flammkuchen

This one is a Müllheim classic; it is also made in France, but Müllheim is on this border. Similar to a pizza, this dish has a very crispy thin base with schmand on top (translated as cheese curd – it’s sort of like a smoother cottage cheese. Crème fraiche is a good alternative). The traditional toppings are onions, small chunks of bacon, paprika and chives, but of course Laura just has it without the bacon. It’s not an adapted pizza; there’s no tomato sauce or cheese, but it is cooked similarly in the oven. Lots of restaurants in this area serve this, it’s very easy and cheap to make!

Other things Laura likes:

Spicy courgette slices, often paired with quorn ‘chicken’ nuggets. To make them spicy, add chilli powder in a mixture of sesame oil, olive oil and soy sauce (or salt). The courgettes should be sliced really thinly. Warning – we find the air hilariously difficult to breathe in afterwards! Keeping a window open is our recommendation.
Avocado and salmon on toast. Laura uses salmon trimmings, which are cheaper (good for students) and taste nice because of the fatty bits. She doesn’t butter the toast, but of course this is optional. No salt needs to be added either because the salmon is already salty, but black pepper is a nice touch.
Vegetables with feta. Laura likes to use courgette, onions, peppers, but really this is a great way to just use up anything leftover that will go off soon. We have both found that any vegetables with feta cheese is a really delicious combination, and it makes a really filling and cheap meal. Add the block of feta straight away, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Laura adds tomato puree to mix with the melting feta. For seasoning, add garlic, pepper and Italian herbs if you have any. You can adapt this by using some coconut milk and curry powde, and serving with rice, naan or other side dishes for a curry.
Mulled wine. We decided to make this at Christmastime using normal red wine and a spice mix that Laura brought back from Germany. It included orange slices, cinnamon, cloves, star anis, orange juice, and honey to make it sweet. Keep it simmering and let the flavours really ferment for the best taste.

Links:

https://mydinner.co.uk/rahmsauce/ – Rahmsoβe

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/german-potato-dumplings/ – Semmelknödel

https://platedcravings.com/kaiserschmarrn-recipe/ – Kaiserschmarrn

https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/flammkuchen-german-pizza/ – Flammkuchen