Classic German Cooking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites from Semmelknödel to Sauerbraten by Luisa Weiss

    • Categories: Egg dishes; Breakfast / brunch; Cooking for 1 or 2; German; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: eggs; unsalted butter; rye sourdough bread; chives
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Butter lettuce salad with yogurt dressing (Kopfsalat mit joghurt-dressing)

    • lkgrover on February 11, 2025

      Loved this simple lettuce salad with yogurt dressing. I used a whole milk yogurt (not Greek), and just a pinch of additional sugar.

    • anya_sf on January 17, 2025

      I was excited to make this as it's my favorite salad from Germany. I used lactose-free 2% Greek yogurt, which needed more thinning (I used milk rather than more cream). Maybe due to the yogurt I used, the dressing was too sweet and I ended up adding lemon juice. Next time I'd start with half the sugar. Otherwise quite enjoyable. Half the dressing was enough for a medium head of butter lettuce.

  • Fresh cheese (Quark)

    • pattyatbryce on December 16, 2024

      Super easy to make and turns out a nice country cheese. Would definitely make again.

  • Creamy fruit quark (Quarkspeise)

    • pattyatbryce on December 16, 2024

      Great for breakfast. I did use the sugar and cream. My fruit was a banana, because it's what we had on hand. Berries would be awesome or anything a tad sweet would work well.

  • Cucumber salad (Gurkensalat)

    • bernalgirl on December 24, 2024

      I cut the sugar by half and my family enjoyed this simple salad — I grew up with this salad so the floppy cucumbers weren’t a surprise to me and I prefer chives to dill.

  • Creamy cucumber salad (Cremiger gurkensalat)

    • bernalgirl on December 24, 2024

      This salad was a feature of my childhood, especially in summer when the cucumbers were plentiful. I love it much better with chives than dill and liked the proportions of this recipe.

  • Red beet salad (Rote beete salat)

    • bernalgirl on December 16, 2024

      This simple salad really lets the beets shine through. I’m not a hugs fan of caraway but liked it here, as well as the mandoline-thin sliced beets. I thought the vinaigrette needed more vinegar but otherwise would make again as written.

    • pattyatbryce on December 16, 2024

      Simple, but nice punch from the caraway seeds. Adds an interesting element to the plate as I rarely use it (but always enjoy). I roasted the beets instead of boiled due to stovetop constraints and other items being cooked. We'd definitely make again.

  • Swabian potato salad (Schwäbischer kartoffelsalat)

    • Lepa on November 20, 2024

      We were not a fan of this potato salad. I thought it would be like a potato salad my mom makes from Slovenia with an oil and vinegar dressing but this didn't taste as sharp as that one. We threw half a bowl away, which is a rare occurence in our house.

  • Onion and sausage soup (Rheinische zwiebelsuppe)

    • bernalgirl on January 30, 2025

      A hearty soup for a winter evening. I added the optional cabbage as well as thyme and a pinch of chile flakes, and used leftover chicken apple sausage — which maybe makes it another soup, but I would absolutely make this again with beef franks.

  • Lentil soup with sausage and prunes (Linsensuppe mit pflaumen)

    • JoanN on February 14, 2025

      Delicious, and wonderfully filling and comforting on a cold night. Lovely subtle sweet-and-sour thing going on here with the prunes and vinegar. Makes it stand apart from the usual lentil soup.

    • pattyatbryce on December 23, 2024

      Perfect winter bowl of warmth. I used kielbasa for the sausage because the knockwurst wasn't available and the headnotes mentioned garlic and so it seemed a good switch. Next time, I'll get the proper sausage, but I bet it will be just as good. Who doesn't love sausage and lentils?

  • Thick pea stew (Erbseneintopf)

    • bernalgirl on December 24, 2024

      I generally make split pea soup in the instant pot, which always results in beautifully cooked creamy peas. I followed her recipe, adding about 1/2 teaspoon thyme and a pinch of chile flakes. I simmered it for the suggested time before adding the potatoes, then cooked at high pressure for 16 minutes. I browned the hotdogs and topped the soup with them. We all loved the potato and celery root, and I suspect I’ll be making this recipe regularly.

  • Beef barley soup (Graupensuppe)

    • bernalgirl on December 24, 2024

      I used beef chuck as I could not find shanks but that would be even better. My only change was a dose of white wine at the sauté step and a bit of thyme and chile flakes. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

  • Swabian noodles with mountain cheese and caramelized onions (Käsespätzle)

    • pattyatbryce on December 18, 2024

      A tad plain. Boosted by eating with something with more flavor/acid. Needed a touch more club soda than written, but otherwise very easy dough to work with.

  • Savory meat patties (Buletten)

    • rmardel on December 09, 2024

      These are fabulous! the paprika and mustard bring a savory roundness and umami to the meat. These are so good we want to just pick them up and eat them like snacks.

  • Meatballs in lemon-caper sauce (Königsberger klopse)

    • pattyatbryce on December 16, 2024

      We really enjoyed this and recommend the beet salad and mashed potato to accompany as mentioned. Did take a bit of time to prep, but very easy to bring together.

    • bernalgirl on December 09, 2024

      This is simple winter comfort food. The gently simmered meatballs are tender and the sauce adds a gentle balance — this is food for when your tastebuds need a break. The recipe makes *a lot* of sauce, so I’m thinking of trying it on salmon.

  • Stuffed peppers (Gefüllte paprika)

    • bernalgirl on December 16, 2024

      After cooking a bit of filling, I added more paprika as well as salt and ground black lime for acidity. Next time I’d use sour salt. We loved this, the sauce is a mild counterpart and the peppers hold their shape. And I agree with Luisa on red peppers over green.

  • Austrian beef stew (Wiener saftgulasch)

    • angrygreycat on February 02, 2025

      Excellent taste and melt in the mouth tender. I served with Spaetzle. Definitely will make again

  • Pork and sauerkraut stew (Szegediner gulasch)

    • bernalgirl on December 23, 2024

      I grew up with original Hungarian dish, it’s a family favorite and this recipe is absolutely delicious. My changes: cut the pork into slightly larger pieces, add three cloves of minced garlic, eliminate the caraway, double both paprikas and bloom them in a slurry of the sauce from the stew, and add parboiled red potatoes (unpeeled and cut into bite-size pieces if larger) when adding the sauerkraut. Do not skip the sour cream, and pass a shaker of cayenne pepper or similar to add heat to taste.

  • Chicken fricassee (Hühnerfrikassee)

    • angrygreycat on January 31, 2025

      Nice tasting and sauce. Very similar to another recipe I have for Chicken Ala King. Not exactly sure which I like better as it has been a while since I made the Chicken alal king

  • Swabian meat and spinach dumplings (Maultaschen)

    • krwhte on February 16, 2025

      These turned out great! Not as complicated to assemble as the number of steps suggests. Dumplings held their shape well when cooking, regardless of whether they were fully sealed at the ends after cutting. Used a pre-mixed pound of ground beef/pork/veal.

  • Pan-fried cod and potatoes in mustard sauce (Hamburger pannfisch)

    • pattyatbryce on December 23, 2024

      Really fun change of pace. Not sure why you need to fry the cod first. My fish ended up a tad overcooked by doing both. I think just putting it into the sauce would be plenty enough. We'll definitely make again.

    • Lepa on January 14, 2025

      This was good but took forever because I didn't realize I had to use boiled potatoes so I had to stop and make them before proceeding. Don't make my mistake! We ate this with a green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, which was great with the rich flavors here.

    • lkgrover on February 09, 2025

      Excellent cod with mustard sauce, and potatoes on the side. I used baby potatoes (which I did not peel), which may have decreased the preparation time.

  • Creamed kohlrabi (Kohlrabigemüse)

    • bernalgirl on December 24, 2024

      Th kohlrabi ended up grainy, the batons were an anwkward shape in the sauce, and I didn’t find the sauce complimentary. It might be better on cauliflower.

  • Creamed Savoy cabbage (Wirsinggemüse)

    • pattyatbryce on December 23, 2024

      Excellent side dish. We really enjoyed even if we used a regular cabbage.

  • Potato-buttermilk casserole (Buttermilchgetzen)

    • bernalgirl on February 14, 2025

      A surprisingly light potato casserole, easy to put together. I used diced pancetta, which is easier for me to find than the type of speck she describes. I thought it needed some seasoning, I’d consider augmenting with whatever works with the rest of the meal.

  • Fried potatoes with onions and bacon (Bratkartoffeln)

    • bernalgirl on January 01, 2025

      We don’t eat like this all the time so this was a treat. The recipe — using pre-cooked potatoes — comes together quickly and compliments each ingredient. We enjoyed this with grilled fish, I’d also like it with sausages.

  • Bread dumplings (Semmelknödel)

    • bernalgirl on January 01, 2025

      This was the first recipe I made, using leftover sourdough bread and celery stuffing from Thanksgiving. My friend’s German mom made a bread dumpling that I adored which had celery and sage — those were very dense and these were surprisingly light. They were a great addition to turkey noodle soup.

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  • ISBN 10 1984861883
  • ISBN 13 9781984861887
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Oct 29 2024
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 288
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Ten Speed Press

Publishers Text

A collection of more than 100 of the best, most emblematic recipes of German and Austrian home cooks, from the author of Classic German Baking.

To many, German food is humble comfort food, the kind of food that may not win a beauty award, but more than makes up for it with its power to soothe, nourish and cheer. In Classic German Cooking, Luisa Weiss—born in Berlin to an Italian mother and American father, and who married into a family with roots in Saxony—has collected and mastered the essential everyday recipes of Germany and Austria.

Classic German Cooking features traditional and time-honored recipes that are beloved in homes across the region, such as Rinderrouladen (Braised Beef Rolls), Quarkauflauf (Fresh Cheese Soufflé), Hühnerfrikassee (Chicken Fricassee) and authentic Viennese Gulasch or Alpine Germknödel (Plum Butter-Stuffed Steamed Dumplings). Cozy Apfelküchle (Apple Fritters) bring warmth to an afternoon snack, while tangy Spargelsalat (White Asparagus Salad) signals the sweet start of Spring.

Luisa gives history and context to the cooking of Germany and its influences worldwide. Sprinkled with both personal stories and historical insights, Classic German Cooking will leave you with a well-rounded understanding of the cuisine and its lasting influence.

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