A Proper German Meal

Today I bring you the first proper German meal I have prepared in Berlin. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been a little starved for a real dinner since I've been here. Today, my first free day since the beginning of my study program, I decided to rectify the situation with a little trip to the store. Actually, I went to four stores. First, I went to Bio Company to buy a special tofu product. (More about that later). Then I went to Kaiser's, where I bought non-produce items like yogurt, bread, and crushed tomatoes. Afterward, I stopped at a produce stand for fruits and vegetables, and finally I headed to a Turkish shop that sells nuts and dried fruit. 

[An aside: I must add that I have at long last found a local store that sells dried carob! I've been looking for a year now! I consider this no small accomplishment since I generally go out of my way to find and purchase dried fruit.]

After my tour of German food vending establishments, I returned home to my small apartment in Kreuzberg, went for a run on Karl Marx Boulevard, and then fired up my stove to prepare a German Abendessen.

The Menu

Tofu bratwurst with onions

Purple cabbage sauerkraut

Green salad with quark dressing

Rye bread

The salad dressing is a typical German sauce, but I was experimenting so the recipe is still in the works. I'll have it to you shortly. First, let's take a look at tofu-wurst preparation.

Ingredients

Tofu bratwurst or the real thang of course

Water

1/2 tbsp. of oil (enough to very lightly coat a pan)

Onions, make as much as you want

Salt to taste

Method

If the tofu bratwurst has a casing, prick it several times with a fork before you begin cooking. Places the bratwurst in a skillet, and add enough water to the skillet so that the water comes up halfway on the side of the tofu. Bring the water to a light simmer, and cover the skillet. Depending on the size of the tofu, you will need to simmer it for some time. I had small bratwursts, and I cooked mine for about 20 minutes. Standard size should take about 30 minutes. The tofu will absorb some of the water and expand in size. Do not boil - only simmer - the water throughout this period. After the tofu has expanded, drain the water from the pan, and turn up the heat to med-high. Add just enough oil to the pan to coat the bottom. (I used just a few drops of oil). Pan-fry the bratwurst by letting it brown on one side and then rolling it to the other side. I rolled the bratwurst around in the pan so that all sides would be crispy. About halfway through this process, add the onions, along with the salt. Pan-frying will take 5 to 10 minutes. After the tofu is nicely browned, remove it and the onions from the skillet. Serve while still warm.

Since in Germany, I haven't yet had time to make homemade sauerkraut - which I prefer - so after I finished my tofu-wurst, I opened a big bottle of red cabbage sauerkraut that I bought a few days ago. No, that's a lie. I re-opened the bottle. I have, in fact, been eating this stuff for every meal since I bought the bottle. I've actually even been spooning it out of the jar for a little snack mid-day. It's that good. However, although I've been eating it cold, directly from the fridge, I wanted to warm it up for this dinner. I warmed it in the same pan in which I cooked the tofu. 

To serve the whole meal, I nestled my tofu-wurst into two mounds of onions and kraut. Then I broke of a piece of hearty German rye bread, and I made up a huge green salad with that soon-to-be-published quark dressing.