Saturday, September 20, 2014

Ich besorge das Bier.

German food reminds me of fall, and even though it got sort of hot today, the leaves are changing, and I'm looking forward to sweaters and boots. When I picked up a bag of Verisoy Vegan Spare Ribs today at Evergreen, I decided that going with an Asian dish would be too predictable. Enter the sauerkraut.

Of course, after it was all plated and tasted, I realized that this would be even better with Tofurky brats or vegan knackwurst. Also, I've never made vegan spaetzle before, but Bryanna's recipe is (of course) flawless. I made mine with regular unbleached all purpose flour and soy flour. I also used a metal colander to make the dumplings and angered the arthritis gods. It's not easy, and now I'm putting "spaetzle maker" on my Christmas list. I threw in the parsnips because Bryanna did, but I didn't have her recipe for those. I just sort of threw them in the pan.



Vegan Pork with Apples and Sauerkraut with Golden Parsnips and Spaetzle
makes 4-6 servings

1/2 bag vegan spare ribs (about 15), or four vegan bratwursts, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp+1 tsp caraway seed, divided
1 32 oz jar sauerkraut
1 small red onion, sliced
2 tart apples, cored and diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 oz German beer (I used a Bavarian double bock)
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced parsnips
2 tbsp vegan margarine
salt and pepper
1 or 2 tsp dried parsley
spaetzle, buttered with margarine and seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished with a little parsley and coconut bacon, if desired.

Heat oven to 350°
On the stove, heat a skillet over low -medium heat and add olive oil. Sauté the spare ribs or brat slices and onion until starting to brown. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of caraway seed. Remove from heat and set aside on a paper towel - lined plate. In a casserole dish, combine the sauerkraut, apples, remaining caraway seed, brown sugar, and beer. Top with the pork/onion mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and cook another 10 minutes. Let rest for five minutes, minimum.

Meanwhile, make your spaetzle and parsnips. Boil the parsnips for about ten minutes, and drain. In your skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons margarine over low heat. Add parsnips. Sprinkle with a little salt, and cook slowly, about ten minutes or so, until they start to caramelize. Move to a serving dish and toss with parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve: give each plate a small pile of spaetzle, a scoop of parsnips, and top it with the pork, apples, and sauerkraut.

2 comments:

Amey said...

oooh, this sounds great, and I have a special LOVE for those tofurkey bratwursts. I haven't had them for a while, which is crazy because they are so awesome!

Lisa Turner said...



Hi, I'm Lisa from Downright Vegan
I've been reading your blog postings during Vegan Mofo and I have nominated you for a
Liebster Award. Here are the Rules for the Liebster nominations:

Once nominated, you receive a list of 10 questions from she/he who has placed the nomination, which the nominee must answer. Then, the nominee must nominate 8 other blogs, let them know you have nominated them, and put a link to their blog in your post (no tag backs). Nominees must have under 200 followers. You must tell the blogs that you nominate them.

You'll find your 10 questions on my wordpress blog www.downrightvegan.wordpress.com. I hope you will accept this nomination and participate, but I absolutely understand if you would rather not participate in this. Thank you for your hard work on your blog! Lisa