Austrian, German Recipes
8 recipes found
Schnitzel
The most celebrated schnitzels in Vienna feature a crisp golden crust that puffs dramatically around a thinly pounded veal cutlet (pork loin cutlets are an easy, inexpensive alternative to veal), allowing the meat to cook gently within. Head over to Germany and you are more likely to find schnitzel with a crust that adheres to the meat. Both versions can be fantastic. For an extra-puffy crust, brush the cutlets with vodka before breading them. The volatility of the alcohol produces steam that inflates the schnitzel as it fries. (Water or white vinegar will also work if you want to avoid using alcohol.) If you prefer a crust that adheres more closely to the meat, whack the cutlets with the back of a knife a few times after pounding them in Step 3 to create an uneven surface texture; dry the meat well on paper towels, and skip the vodka coating in Step 5.
Spaetzle
Expand the concept of pasta a bit, and you arrive at spaetzle, the quickly made and rather thin dough (somewhat akin to savory pancake batter) that is often “grated” into boiling water on a spaetzle maker, a tool that looks like a grater without sharp edges. I find spaetzle makers unnervingly tricky, so I prefer to do what I've often seen done by Alsatians, for whom spaetzle is traditional: drop the batter by the spoonful into boiling water. As with all pasta, the more fragile the batter is, the lighter the result will be, so don't make it too stiff; just stiff enough to hold together.
Buttered Spaetzle
Expand the concept of pasta a bit, and you arrive at spaetzle, the quickly made and rather thin dough (somewhat akin to savory pancake batter) that is often “grated” into boiling water on a spaetzle maker, a tool that looks like a grater without sharp edges. I find spaetzle makers unnervingly tricky, so I prefer to do what I've often seen done by Alsatians, for whom spaetzle is traditional: drop the batter by the spoonful into boiling water. As with all pasta, the more fragile the batter is, the lighter the result will be, so don't make it too stiff; just stiff enough to hold together.
Austrian Marinated Fillet of Beef With Asparagus Tips
Crisp Chicken Schnitzel With Lemony Herb Salad
This schnitzel is light and crunchy with a crust that rises like a soufflé. The secret is to trap air in the crust when you cook the meat by moving and shaking the pan (Ms. Clark demonstrates with pork in this video.) You can use this technique with a variety of meat cutlets.
Spinach Spaetzle With Bacon and Sage
Spaetzle, the delicious little German dumplings (sometimes called batter noodles), are easy to make, though it takes a bit of practice. I prefer to form them with a soup spoon, flicking tiny half-moons of batter one-by-one into the pot, or to put the batter on a board and cut off thin strips of batter with a wet knife. Many cooks use a special spaetzle-making tool that forces squiggles of the batter into a pot of boiling water. Others push the batter through the holes of a colander, but for this you need to make a slightly wetter batter. These are green spaetzle, made with spinach purée, sizzled with bacon and sage leaves. (Instead of spinach, you could add chopped herbs, but plain spaetzle are divine, too.) Spaetzle take only moments to cook and can be prepared in advance, then sautéed in butter to serve.
Dressing
