blue artichoke

I can't make it to Oktoberfest, the annual 16-day festival in Munich, Germany, but I can devote this month's Wandering Gullet meals to German food. Though we were out of town last weekend, we had our share of German food in Rhode Island. GC and I went to the rather overpriced Newport Oktoberfest, where we ate brats, drank beer and listened to German polka music. We marveled briefly at the 65-foot grill capable of cooking 2500 brats in an hour, but the grill was set up next to the karaoke stage and the screechings of some drunk party girls chased us into the polka tent. The brats we sampled were good, but the best food came from the grill at the Brazilian food booth. There we got a sampler basket filled with grilled chicken and pork.

Back home, I decided to continue in the Oktoberfest tradition. We had our German meal last night, because the pork loin hadn't thawed in time for dinner on Sunday night. I made a pork loin braised with cabbage, bohnensalat (a green bean salad) and a ginger cake. The pork and the cake recipe included beer as ingredients; instead of being authentic and choosing German beers, I went with the more familiar Irish Guinness and Harp.

The pork entree was really good, and somehow spicy, even though there aren't any hot spices in the recipe. I halved the recipe, and even though it should have then served 4 people, GC and I ate it all. It's that good.

Pork Loin Braised with Cabbage

Pork is typically served with cabbage at the German table. Use red cabbage, if you like, for slightly sweeter flavor. You can prepare the dish a day ahead, and chill overnight. Cut the roast into 1/4-inch slices. Gently reheat the meat in cabbage mixture in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat.

4 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
Cooking spray
3/4 cup diced Canadian bacon (about 4 ounces)
14 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 2 pounds)
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (about 2 medium)
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot (about 1)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark lager (I used Harp)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and sage; rub over pork. Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan.

Add bacon to pan; cook 3 minutes. Add cabbage, onion, and carrot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 15 minutes or until cabbage begins to wilt, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste, remaining 2 teaspoons paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, caraway seeds, and lager. Return pork to pan. Cover and bake at 350° for 2 hours or until tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 3/4 cup cabbage mixture)

CALORIES 255 (32% from fat); FAT 9g (sat 3.3g,mono 4g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 28.7g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 84mg; SODIUM 596mg; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.9g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

The green bean salad was also pretty good, but not stellar. I didn't have any summer savory, so I omitted it. I also didn't chill for an hour before serving because I was too impatient.

Bohnensalat (Green Bean Salad)

3 T. red or white wine vinegar
3 T. olive oil
½ c. chicken stock
2 t. salt
Fresh pepper
1 t. finely chopped fresh dill
1 t. finely chopped parsley
1# fresh green beans
1 sprig fresh summer savory or ¼ t. dried summer savory

In a small bowl, combine first 3 with 1 t. of salt and few grindings of pepper; beat vigorously with a whisk to blend thoroughly. Stir in the dill and parsley; taste for seasoning. Cover and set aside.

Trim the ends off the beans; cut into 2” lengths. In a 3- to 4-qt saucepan, bring 2 qt water, remaining 1 t. salt and summer savory to a bubbling boil over high heat. Drop the beans in by the handful. Return the water to a boil, reduce the heat to moderate and boil beans, uncovered, 10-15m, or until tender but still slightly firm. Don’t overcook. Immediately, drain the beans and rinse in cold water. Spread on paper toweling and pat dry.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over them. Stir to coat well, taste for seasoning, and chill 1h before serving.

Serves 4.
Foods of the World: The Cooking of Germany, by Nika Standen Hazelton and the Editors of Time-Life Books. NY: Time Life, 1969.

And, finally, the cake. A ginger cake, this is pretty much a boozy gingerbread. I'm not sure how much the Guinness adds to the flavor; the cake is good, but not as good as some other (non-beer) gingerbreads I've made. I made it a day ahead; it does keep well.

Ginger Cake

To prepare this cake a day ahead, cool completely, wrap it with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature. Frost the cake with whipped topping just before serving.

Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup flat Guinness stout
3/4 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping (such as Cool Whip Lite), thawed

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add the egg, and beat well. Beat in the applesauce and molasses (batter may look slightly curdled). Reduce mixing speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture, and beat just until blended. Repeat procedure with remaining flour mixture. Add Guinness stout, and beat just until combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely. Spread cake with whipped topping. Cut into 8 wedges.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

CALORIES 244 (30% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 5g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 3g; CHOLESTEROL 43mg; CALCIUM 43mg; SODIUM 295mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.1g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

Of those three recipes, I'll definitely make the pork loin again, maybe make the green beans, but only if I'm looking for a German side dish, and, though the cake is good, probably will choose a different dessert or a better gingerbread. Fortunately, Oktoberfest lasts all month long at the Blue Artichoke home, so I'll try out some new German recipes in next weekend's installment of Wandering Gullet.