Oktoberfest brings all the style, sounds and authentic flavors of Germany to mind. And Janine Washle from Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen is sharing her heritage and love of all things German!
Oktoberfest is actually a two week celebration starting in mid September and lasting through the first weekend in October. The first Oktoberfest was actually a wedding celebration. Bavarian citizens were invited to a horse race celebrating the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810.
It was held in the center of the city in a wiese or field later named after the Princess, Theresienwiese or Theresa's Field. At this event the Marz beer was served. This was the beer that was started in March and was ready for consumption by October. Because the event was so popular with the citizens, the family decided to make it a tradition. Only disease outbreaks and World Wars have stopped the event. The last horse race was run in the '50's and more emphasis was put on entertainment and craft booths.
Even though beer is at the center of the contemporary celebration, it is still a fun event for families who want to dress up in traditional costumes and eat local foods such as soft pretzels, schnitzel, brats, potato salad, and delicious sweets including apple strudel. Of course, all are washed down with the Marz beer. Local wines and non-alcoholic drinks are available too. But what if you can't get to Munich for the celebration? There are Oktoberfest celebrations across the U.S.; the closest one to Louisville is this coming weekend in Chicago (September 28-30).
Not to worry, if a weekend jaunt isn't possible, you can create the flavors of Oktoberfest at home without hurting your grocery budget. Most delicious dishes are economical using readily available ingredients. Bavaria, during the time of King Ludwig, was very poor so the country people cooked with humble ingredients.
Pork and potatoes to this day are an integral part of traditional recipes. So to celebrate at your house, it could be as simple as soft pretzels, grilled brats and potato salad; or maybe with a bit more flair like sauerbraten, potato dumplings, and kraut. Whatever the case, don't forget this is a time of celebration. Even if you aren't of German descent, go ahead and raise a stein and celebrate good food, family, and friends!
Here is a recipe for one of the most popular German fast foods, curry wurst:
Curry Wurst
Ingredients:
4 TB unsalted butter
4 boiled bratwursts
¼ cup prepared ketchup
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Kaiser rolls or hotdog buns
Preparation:
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add brats and sauté until golden brown on all sides, about 7-10 minutes adjusting heat to prevent overbrowning.
In a medium bowl, combine ketchup, curry powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Slice a brat into several pieces and place on a bun. Generously top with curry mixture. Serve warm.
Apple Strudel Baked in Milk
(Traditional Bavarian recipe. From www.germanfoodguide.com)
Don't be scared to make your own dough. It is very stretchy like a pizza dough.
Ingredients:
For the Dough
2 cups bread flour (You need the gluten of Bread Flour for this recipe)
approx. 1/2 cup Water, lukewarm
Pinch of Salt
1 Egg
2 tablespoons Oil
For the Filling
3/4 cup (packed) Seedless Raisins (soaked in water)
4-5 large Apples (choose a tart variety like Granny Smith)
3 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice
Zest from 1 Lemon
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Sour Cream
Additional Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter (Melted)
1/2 cup Milk
Powdered Sugar
Preparation:
Place the flour in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the salt, oil, and egg. Add enough water to make a soft, sticky dough. The dough should come off the sides of the bowl, but still be moist.
The dough must now be kneaded until it is very elastic and smooth. If kneading by hand, this will take around 15 minutes. If using a mixer, using the dough hook, mix for 10 minutes, then take dough out of the mixer and knead by hand an additional 5 minutes.
Place dough in an oiled bowl. Brush the dough with a little oil also, cover with plastic, and allow dough to rest at room temperature for 1/2 hour.
In the meantime, prepare the filling. Drain the raisins. Wash and peel the apples. Remove the cores and slice apples into chunks. Add apples to a bowl, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. Mix together and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a large roasting pot with half of the butter.
Cover a table with a clean, smooth table cloth. The table cloth should hang over the sides of the table. Rub flour into the cloth, especially in the center.
Lay the dough on the cloth and sprinkle it with flour. Rollout the dough using a rolling pin to the size of a large handkerchief. Brush the dough with oil to keep it from drying out.
Dip your fists in flour. Place your fists (palms down) under the dough. Stretch the dough with your fists, working from the center to the outside. If dough begins to dry out, brush it with oil. Stretch the dough until it is paper thin. The dough should be so thin that you can almost see through it.
When the dough is evenly stretched out, cut off edges to make a rectangular shape.
Brush dough with a thin layer of sour cream. Brush from the middle to the edges.
Spread the apple filling evenly over the dough, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border from the edges. Fold over the 1 1/2 inch flaps of dough to the right and left of the filling.
Lift up the cloth on one of the long sides to start rolling up the dough. By raising the cloth, gently continue this procedure until all of the dough is completely rolled around the filling.
Use the cloth to transfer the strudel into the prepared pan. Brush the dough with melted butter. Heat up the milk and pour hot milk into the roasting pan, so that the strudel is sitting in the milk. Bake the strudel for about 1 hour, basting it occasionally with milk, until the strudel is golden brown.
Remove the strudel from the oven. Remove it from the pan and allow it to cool slightly. Dust the strudel with powdered sugar. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a vanilla sauce.
FREE RECIPE BOOKLET!
Cloverfields Farm and Kitchen also has a special Oktoberfest Recipe Booklet available by email. To ask for a complimentary copy, just email Janine Washle at cloverfields.farm.ky@gmail.com
To find Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen on Facebook: click here.
CloverFields Farm & Kitchen
3720 Mt. Olive Rd.
Hardin Springs Area
Big Clifty, KY 42712
270-862-3762
Janine Washle and her family live at the Cloverfields Farm and Kitchen in Big Clifty, Kentucky in Hardin County. CloverFields Farm & Kitchen, part of a century old farmstead, is our home and business. The McGuffin house, the original farmhouse, is a registered state landmark. CloverFields Farm has a prosperous farming history. They are continuing this rural story in their own unique way by the addition of CloverFields Kitchen a place to explore the past through food and merge it with our modern lifestyles.
CloverFields Farm is dedicated to the preservation of southern, especially Kentucky, food traditions. The kitchen is commercially-outfitted compliant with Health Department standards. In this kitchen I develop new recipes based on original ideas, inspirations from my culinary research, and most often according to what is in season.
On the farm, they make many gifts and specialty items. She is currently working on her first cookbook, but she also has a long resume developing recipes for several companies. She has also won several contests and cook-offs with her original recipes.
