Oktoberfest! (& embracing my inner German)

I'm a few days late getting this post up, but I can promise you that this German household had our traditional Oktoberfest meal on Monday, October 1st! By my husband and I were born to German fathers, and thus we have a 50% German household that will continue on to our own offspring! I went from one German last name to another. I was never overly proud or "underly" proud of being German, but that all changed this past spring. Before I get into our delicious feast, let me tell a short story about how I met an amazing man last May.

I taught 6th grade World History, and our final unit for the school year was on the Holocaust. My students were taught about the Nazis, the Germans who were not Nazis, the Jewish people, the concentration camps, and all of that horrible things that happened, honestly, not long ago. Given that we had been learning about ancient civilizations all year, this was a lot more "real" to the kids. It became even more real when they got to meet Alex Moskovic, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor. He was one of the many young boys who was at Buchenwald, a death camp, during WWII. His story is told in part through the documentary Kinderblock 66. A colleague of mine had met him years before, and he continued to bring him in to speak to our students. What an incredible opportunity it was to meet this man; I felt so blessed to be able to sit and talk to him one on one. I remember looking into his eyes and all I could think was "What have those eyes seen?" I can't even began to fathom it. I told him how I had always loved learning about WWII and the Holocaust, my favorite period of modern history to learn about. But what was most important, was my hesitation to tell him that I was German. There was no denying it in my name, but I avoided telling him until he asked. Then he told me another story. He often got letters from students he spoke to, and he received one from a German girl. She asked him "What do you think about Germans now?" Alex looked me straight in the eyes and told me "We cannot be held responsible for what our ancestors have done in the past". I felt such a weight lift from my shoulders, as I faced this man who had seen untold horrors firsthand. He had every right to hold animosity, but he had none. From then on, I have embraced and loved proclaiming that I am German.

Now on to our very German Oktoberfest meal! Growing up, my mom (surprisingly, as she is Scots-Irish) made us a very traditional meal of German meatballs and spaetzle. For those of you who don't know what spaetzle is, think of it as a pasta or potato substitute. It is your starch. This is my "go to" meatball recipe, but I usually don't go full out German with the spaetzle as...my *coughbadGermancough* husband doesn't like it. Well...it is Oktoberfest, so he just has to deal with it! I started off by mixing my meatballs.

We only buy a higher quality of ground beef (as we don't like high fat meats as a part of our diet, particularly with a history of heart problems on my husband's side). My mom's recipe calls for parsley, but I never use it just because I never have it on hand. Forming the meatballs is always fun...nice and squishy! I line a baking pan with wax paper for forming the meatballs, then pop them in the fridge until I'm ready to start cooking (I always form them a few hours before).

You want to start cooking the meatballs about 45 minutes before you plan to eat. Start by heating oil (I switch between olive and canola, whatever pleases me in the moment) in a large saucepan over medium heat. This is so extremely important. Several years ago, in my first attempt to make homemade meatballs, they fell apart in the pan because the oil was too hot. Test the oil by putting one meatball in. It should only sizzle a little in the first second, then sizzle more. If it doesn't sizzle, the oil isn't hot enough. If it sizzles TOO much...its too hot. Move the pan and let it cool down some. If its perfect, add the rest of the meatballs. I let them all brown on one side, then flip them all. Once they're browned on both sides, I'll start shaking the pan to let them cook all over. Don't rush the cooking. I even turn the heat down a little sometimes while I'll cooking. When you think they're done, test one by cutting through. If its done, remove all the meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil. Pour the cooking oil out of the pan, and return the meatballs to the pan.

Now, the sauce!

Chop up your onion and your mushrooms if you're using fresh. I've made this both with fresh and canned mushrooms. Usually I use a 3 oz can of mushrooms. This time I had fresh, so I measured out three ounces and chopped them to bite size pieces. Frankly, I HATE mushrooms, and the only reason they stay in this recipe is because my husband loves them.

Time to make the sauce creamy...in goes the sour cream.

Mmmmmm, by this time the smells in the kitchen are absolutely amazing. Time to make the spaetzle. This is the trickiest part. This is why this was only a special occasion recipe, because my mother found it so tricky to perfect. The recipe is basic, and this time I decided to add in some chopped sage (but you can leave fresh herbs out entirely or try another if you're adventurous or have something else on hand). You really have to figure out the best way to make the spaetzle. You get a dough that is thinner than biscuit dough but thicker than pancake batter. My mom used to run it through a colander over boiling water. I used a cake decorator. I have the Wilton dessert decorator, and one of the attachments makes a long thin strand. I fill the decorator up with the dough while the water boils. I add about a teaspoon of salt and olive oil to the boiling water then I start squirting the dough into the boiling water. Stir with a slotted spoon to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom or the rest of the spaetzle.

When its done, drain it out and return it to the bowl or divide onto plates. At this point, my hubby came home with his contribution to the meal...

Ahhh as instructed! Such a dutiful man ;) (Of course...this was for his enjoyment, not mine...!)

And there you have it! Our incredibly delicious German Oktoberfest meal! (With me picking out the mushrooms and my hubby actually starting to learn to like spaetzle!)

German Meatballs and Spaetzle

Ingredients

-Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 TB parsley (I omitted this)

1 ts salt

1/4 ts poultry seasoning

dash of pepper

Oil for cooking

-Sauce

10.5 oz condensed beef brother

3 oz mushrooms (canned or fresh)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup sour cream

1 TB flour

-Spaetzle

2 cups flour

1 ts salt

2 slightly beaten eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 TB finely chopped sage (or other fresh herbs)

1 ts olive oil

1 ts salt

Making the Meatballs:

1. Combine the egg and milk in a large bowl.

2. Add the ground beef and combine

3. Add the bread crumbs, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper; combine.

4. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.

5. When hot, add meatballs and cook thoroughly.

6. Remove meatballs from pan, empty oil, and return meatballs to the pan.

Making the Sauce:

7. Add condensed beef broth, onion, and mushrooms to the pan with the meatballs. Allow to simmer until onions are tender.

8. Add sour cream to the pan and mix thoroughly.

9. Sprinkle 1 TB of flour over pan and stir. Allow to continue simmering until the sauce thickens slightly.

Making the Spaetzle

10. Beat two eggs slightly in a bowl.

11. Add the milk, flour, salt, and herbs.

12. Boil a large pot with water, and add in the olive oil and salt.

13. Fill a pastry decorator with the spaetzle dough (or fit a colander over the pot to drain batter into the water). Squirt the dough into the water.

14. Stir the pot gently so it does not stick to the pot or the rest of the spaetzle.

15. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain.

16. Top the drained, cooked spaetzle with the German meatballs and sauce.

YUM!