A Bavarian German Christmas Dinner

Little Germany could be the name of the southern Indiana county I was born and raised in. Octoberfest wasn't a once a year event, it's what we had for Sunday dinner every week. But there is one time of year, when the entire house became a German wonderland of German breads, cookies, and special delicacies and the heirloom German Christmas ornaments were placed on the tree for St. Nikolaus. My memories of that time glow with a timeless muted intensity of wonder and delight.

The Christmas cookies are a wonder by themselves, made with precious rare spices like anise, cardamom, and grated nutmeg, rolled out on special hand carved baking boards and stamped with wooden cutters handed down from one generation to another, the traditions of Christmas baking in a true German household are impressive in scope and detail.

Christmas Dinner in Germany would consist of a simple Christmas goose, or perhaps a spiced pork roast (schweinbraten) or my personal favorite, Sauebraten with all the fixings. There would be German potato pancakes, red cabbage and of course traditional Kuchens or Strudels.

Sauebraten (or Sour Beef

Rub a 3-4 lb beef pot roast with a spice mixture of 1 clove of garlic, finely minced, 1 t. coarse black pepper, 2 t. coarse Kosher salt. Place meat in an oven proof pan or dish.

On stove top make a marinade of 1 c. of red wine vinegar, 2 c. of red wine, 2 large onions, sliced thinly, 4 bay leaves, 12 cloves, 1 t. peppercorns, ¼ c. sugar. Bring to a boil and then pour over meat. Allow to cool and refrigerate covered for 3 to 4 days, turning the meat each day. Remove the meat and reserve the liquid. Brown meat in hot oil in a heavy kettle. Add 2 c. of the liquid to pot, cover and simmer on med. low to 2 to 3 hours till meat is tender, add more liquid as meat cooks if needed.

After meat is cooked remove from pan, add remaining liquid from the marinade, add 4 t. of beef boullion and thicken with 3 t. arrowroot or cornstarch. Cook package of frozen pearl onions in microwave and serve with the sauerbraten and sauce.

Red Cabbage, Onions and Apples

This typical side dish looks beautiful at Christmas with its rosy pink red color. A serving of sauerbraten, potato cakes, and red cabbage makes a wonderful Christmas Eve meal. Followed by Weithnachsstollen (or Christmas loaf) for dessert.

In a Dutch oven, place 1 medium head of red cabbage, cored and sliced, 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced, 1 medium sweet onion, sliced into thin rings, 1 c. of water, 1 c. of apple cider vinegar, ¼ c. of sugar, 1 t. salt, and 2 T. of butter. Make a spice bag in cheesecloth of 6 whole peppercorns, 2 whole allspice, 2 whole cloves, 1 bay leaf. Tie up and place in pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about one hour. Remove spice bag and discard. In a cup, combine 2 T. cornstarch and cold water till smooth, stir into cabbage mixture. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes till thickened.Serve with either creamy whipped potatoes, or with German Potato Pancakes.

German Strudel

In a large bowl, combine 3 ½ c. of flour, 1 t. salt, 1 egg, lightly beaten, and 2/3 c. warm water, stir till mixture forms a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest for 1 hour. Mix ¾ c. of white sugar, 1 t. ground cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Place dough on a floured wooden board. Stretch the dough slightly to form a large rectangle. Pour ½ c. melted butter over the dough and continue to stretch the dough till thin and translucent. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture over the dough. Spread 7 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin, over the dough. Pour half of the cream. Roll each side of the dough to the middle and fold the ends under. Place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cream. Bake in 400 oven for one hour until golden and apples are tender.