Autumn flammkuchen

For ➋

1 large puff pastry sheet

150 g crème fraîche

a few slices of pumpkin

½ red onion 

2 figs

100 g goat cheese

1 handful of walnuts

fresh rosemary

2 tbs honey

Spread Flammkuchen ingredients on the pastry sheet. Sprinkle some oil over it.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 200°C for approx. 20 m.

Königsberger Klopse (German meatballs)

For ➍
meatballs:
150 g ground sirloin
150 g ground pork
150 g ground veal
1 large egg, slightly beaten
60 g fine plain breadcrumbs
5 cl milk
⅓ medium white onion, finely chopped
zest of ⅓ lemon, finely chopped
juice of ⅓ lemon
1 tbs capers, chopped
1 tbs anchovy paste or 1 tbs crushed anchovy fillets (or sardines or herring)
20 g melted butter
⅓ ts sea salt
¼ ts ground black pepper
flour (for rolling)
broth
3 dl chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 cl cider vinegar
4 cl dry white wine
3 black peppercorns
1 tbs capers
sauce
zest of ⅓ lemon, small finely chopped
juice of ⅓ lemon
1 dl sour cream
1-2 tbs snipped fresh parsley, for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat broth ingredients (stock, bay leaf, cider vinegar, white wine, peppercorns, and 2 tbs capers) to a simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile, combine meatball ingredients, mix well.
Form meat mixture into golf-ball sized balls. Roll them in flour, and carefully place into hot broth; simmer each batch (10-12) for 15 m, but do not boil. The broth will thicken as you add the flour covered meatballs, which will make a nice sauce.
Carefully remove meatballs from the hot broth with a slotted spoon, and keep them warm in a covered bowl stored in the oven while making the sauce. Discard bay leaf.
To hot broth, stir in the sauce ingredients and heat through, but do not boil.
Add the cooked meatballs to the heated sauce, stir gently and warm through.
Serve meatballs and cream sauce with boiled new potatoes (Salzkartoffel) or hot buttered spätzle noodles and German red cabbage. Sprinkle with snipped fresh parsley, for garnish.

*To serve as an appetizer, make the meatballs smaller and serve warm with toothpicks, buttered rolls and potato salad.

Predecessors of the Königsberger Klopse date back to the Middle Ages. The Prussian name Klops (meat dumpling) didn't originate until the 18th century, when Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia, today known as Kaliningrad in Russia.

Rotkohl (German spiced red cabbage with apples & wine)

For ➍
3 tbs chopped bacon
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 cm fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped
⅓ cinnamon stick
⅔ large red cabbage, tough outer leaves removed, quartered, cored & finely shredded
⅔ sprig fresh marjoram
⅓ ts garam masala (or a small dash each of ground black pepper, rock salt, cinnamon &; cardomom)
4 tbs red wine vinegar
4 tbs ruby port or Madeira wine
4 tbs brown sugar or maple syrup
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 whole clove (optional)
1 firm apple, chopped (optional)

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally until it has rendered its fat, about 10 m for the bacon.
Add the onion, ginger and cinnamon stick, increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 m, until the onion has softened.
Add the cabbage, stirring and cooking over medium heat until some of the bits are slightly browned and caramelized, about 10 m. Now add the marjoram, garam masala, vinegar and port or Madeira, and stir well. Add the optional bay leaf, whole clove, and chopped apple.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 60-75 m, stirring occasionally to make sure the cabbage is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Remove the lid and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 m.
Stir in the brown sugar (or maple syrup) and cook for 15 mlonger, or until most of the liquid has cooked away.
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf before serving.
Serve with roasted pork & potatoes, or Königsberger Klopse & potatoes.

Kartoffelsalat (German potato salad)

For ➍
3 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
3 tbs white onion, finely chopped
½ apple, chopped
1 stalk celery & leaves, very thinly sliced
2 dill pickles, chopped
½ tbs sweet pickle relish, heaped
1 ts sugar
½ tbs cider vinegar
½ tbs pickle juice
½ tbs extra virgin olive oil
¾ ts yellow mustard
6 tbs mayonnaise
¼ ts salt
¼ ts ground black pepper
¾ tbs parsley, finely chopped
2 hardboiled eggs
½ tomato, slices for garnish (or grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes)
½ torn lettuce leaf, for garnish
½ paprika, for garnish

In a large covered pot, bring potatoes to a boil in enough salted water to cover by at least 2 cm. Lower heat to a simmer, and cook about 25-30 m or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, but still firm. Drain potatoes in colander, and briefly run cold water over the potatoes. Transfer drained potatoes back into the empty covered pot and set on a very low flame for  2 m or two, being careful not to scorch them. This will help to dry the potatoes and to ensure that they are not wet or soggy. Return potatoes to colander, and let them cool to the touch.
Peel and then slice the potatoes into 2.5 cm pieces.
In a large bowl, stir together the onions, apples, celery, dill pickles, sweet relish, and ⅔ of the chopped parsley.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, pickle juice, olive oil, mustard, mayonnaise and the salt and pepper. Pour over the onion mixture, stirring well to coat evenly.
Add the potatoes and 1 chopped hardboiled egg. Fold and stir gently to combine. Transfer to a wide and shallow serving dish.
Garnish with 1 quartered hardboiled egg, tomato slices and the torn lettuce. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and the paprika.
Cover and keep refrigerated until serving time.
Serve f.i. with Königsberger Klopse.

Sauerkraut (German fermented cabbage dish)

For ➍
600 g Kasseler rib
200 g salted bacon (piece)
4 Frankfurter sausages
200 g Polish sausage
200 g of smelt (piece)
2 pork hams (shank pieces)
1 kg sauerkraut
3 onions, chopped finely
2 dl white wine (f.i. Riesling)
2 Jonagold apples, grated (optional)
4 bay leaves
2 cloves
6 juniper berries
6 peppercorns
1 ts coriander seeds
2 tbs lard (lard) or butter
mustard
salt
700 g potatoes

Put a large casserole over medium heat. Melt some of the lard (or butter). Cook onions gently. Optionally, add the apple to the onion. Add the sauerkraut. Stir until well blended. Put off the fire. Except for the hams and Franfurter sausages, cut the meat into large pieces.

Crush the cloves, peppercorns, juniper berries and coriander seeds in a mortar. Put in a coffee filter and close with kitchen string.

In a large casserole melt some lard (or butter) over medium heat. Place the bacon in the hot lard and fry briefly. Spoon over a layer of sauerkraut. Spread the other meat pieces over it. Spoon in another layer of sauerkraut. Add the sausages and herbs in the filter. Spoon the rest of the sauerkraut into the pot and pour the wine over it. Let simmer for at least 1 h over low heat.

Meanwhile boil the potatoes.

Add some salt to the sauerkraut when necessary.

Serve sauerkraut with some pieces of meat and potatoes. Add a lick of mustard to the plate.

Preserving green cabbage through a lactic acid fermentation process (pickling) way was discovered by the Chinese in the year 221 BC. The Chinese needed to a way to provide good nutrition to the builders of the Great Wall of China during the winter months. They preserved cabbage by soaking it in rice wine.
The tradition of pickling green cabbage was introduced into Europe in the 13th Century by the Mongolians, who brought the Chinese 'suan cai' ('sour vegetable') with them. Its popularity began in Eastern Europe, then quickly spread throughout Western Europe.

Maultaschen (Swabian ravioli)

For 24 pieces
25-50 cl beef stock*
dough:
300 g all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbs oil
3 tbs water
filling:
2-3 slices bacon, cooked & chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
25 g day-old bread or rolls, cut into cubes, sprinkled with 2 tbs water
2 tbs fresh or 1 ts dried parsley
1 tbs spicy mustard
¼ ts dried thyme
¼ ts dried marjoram
250 g ground lean beef with just a little fat**
125 g (frozen) spinach, (thawed), squeezed dry & chopped***
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
pepper

Mix flour with salt, eggs, oil and just enough water to make a smooth dough. Knead for 5-10 m. Form dough into a ball, oil surface, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1 h.

Cook bacon and remove from pan. Sauté onions and garlic in bacon drippings until translucent.

Mix all filling ingredients well. For a finer texture, put ingredients through a meat grinder.

Roll out half of the dough to 3 mm thickness or thinner.

Score dough with a knife to make 12 rectangles.

Place 1 tbs filling on each rectangle. Fold rectangle over and pinch sides to close.

Repeat with the other half of dough.

Bring broth to a simmer and place 8 of the Maultaschen in the broth.* Cook for 15-20 m. Remove and drain. Keep warm if not serving immediately. Repeat with the rest of the Maultaschen.

Serve in bowl with some stock. Sprinkle with chives and/or parsley.

*Or fry them with a bit of mixed egg yolk and egg white on each side. Serve them with Swabian potato salad.
**Or use a mix of ground pork and beef meat.
***Or another vegetable like onions, carrots, turnips.

Filled dough bags are wide-spread as Italian ravioli, Chinese wontons, Jewish kreplach, Eastern European pierogi, Russian pelmeni, Ukrainian varenyky, Tibetan momo, Turkish mantı, Levantine shishbarak, Maltese ravjul or these Maultaschen (feeding bags for cattle) in German Swabia.
They are rumoured to have been invented by monks of the Maulbronn monastery to conceal the fact that they were eating meat during lent. The monks hid the meat inside of the Maultaschen, believing that God couldn't see it.
Founded in 1147, the Cistercian Maulbronn monastery, World Cultural Heritage since 1993, is considered the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps. It was constructed between the 12th and 16th centuries and was a major influence in the spread of Gothic architecture in northern and central Europe.