Shrooms Galore

My dear husband and I were in Germany a few weeks ago, and the foodie that I am, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by brats, wienerschnitzel, potato salad and sauerkraut.  To my surprise, the food was amazing -- better than France.  I even enjoyed the biers.  If you've never been to Berlin, I highly recommend going, not only to see both sides of the old Berlin Wall, but also for the food.

Ever since we returned home to Chateau McCoy, it's been raining monsoon style.  Not that I'm complaining.  It's July and the rain has caused the temperature to drop from the typical 105 degrees to a balmy 90 degrees.  I'd much rather have soggy ground than last year's drought and ensuing forest fires.  I had to call my HOA and explain to them that the grass guy attempted to mow but his mower got stuck in the mud, causing him to do a burnout in the front yard and then bail, and that my foot-high grass will be cut as soon as the rain lets up and the yard is less swamp-like.

Also with the rain has sprouted hundreds of mushrooms of varying varieties.  I have no idea which (if any) of these are edible.  And I'm not going to eat one to find out, either.  But I have to remove them all in case Lola decides to eat them.  Lola acts like she's tripping on shrooms on any given day.  I can't imagine what she would be like if she actually ate one.

Picking shrooms out of the back yard reminded me of the food in Germany and gave me inspiration to try to emulate the wonderful mushroom gravy that covered or accompanied almost every food we ate while there.  I also wanted a chance to use the new spaetzle maker that I ordered from Amazon as soon as I got home.

This is a photo of pork medallions covered in brown mushroom gravy with a side of spaetzle.  I didn't make this.  It was just one of the many meals I had while in Germany, and like the ugly tourist that I am, I took photos of my food.

I admit that the prospect of making spaetzle was daunting to me.  Everyone I spoke with about cooking it had said that they knew someone who made excellent spaetzle.  But that person was usually someone's great grandmother from Germany. 

In addition to pork medallions, this same mushroom gravy was often served atop Wienerschnitzel (which is the origin of Chicken Fried Steak here in the South), changing it to Jaegerschnitzel.  I really wasn't sure what was in the brown mushroom (Jaegel) gravy, so I went internet rousing and came to realize that Germans use a wide range of schnitzel gravies, including: cheese-based (Kase); tomato-based (Zigeuner); tomato and pepper-based (Paprika); pepper cream sauce (Rahm); fried egg, onions and capers (Holstein); and mushrooms, bacon,  onions and burgundy (Jaeger). 



For the Spaetzle:
Mix together 2 eggs (slightly beaten), 1 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. milk, 1 t. kosher salt, 1/4 t. baking powder.  Refrigerate in a closed container for several hours.

I used Veal Chops with my meal.  I marinated the chops in a mixture of red balsamic vinegar, olive oil and worcestershire sauce. 

Approximately one hour before time-to-serve, salt and boil water in a large stock pot.  While water is heating, fry a piece of bacon in a deep skillet.  After the fat has been rendered and the bacon is brown, remove bacon and set aside for later.  Add an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet.

Dredge chops in seasoned flour and then brown in the oil (apx. 5 minutes on each side).   Place browned veal chops into a casserole dish and set aside.

Put Spaetzle dough into Spaetzle collander and push dough into boiling water.  Once dumplings

begin to float to the top of the water, place a lid over the dumplings and cook on medium for another 10 minutes.  Then remove from heat, strain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.


In the skillet you used to brown the chops, add 2 T. olive oil, 4 cups fresh sliced mushrooms, 2 T. minced garlic, and then crumble up the reserved piece of bacon.  Once mushrooms are translucent, add 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup red wine.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, or until mushrooms shrink and sauce thickens. 




Preheat oven to 400. Layer a few fresh thyme sprigs over the veal chops. Pour mushroom mixture on top. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until chops are medium in center (using a meat thermometer). 




In a large skillet, add 2 pieces of chopped bacon and cook until browned.  Add boiled spaetzle and cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes.

I served this with steamed spinach on the side. 

While we were in Germany, I drank nothing but really strong coffee and a really good bier concoction called "Radler", which translated into English means, "Rattler".  I'm not sure how this very tame-tasting Heffeweissen that is combined with a clear sparkling soda (like Sprite), came to possess such a threatening monniker.  I drank one of these when we first arrived, in an effort to "When in Berlin, be a Jelly Donut."  I was really surprised by how absolutely yummy this bier was.  And for the rest of the trip, drank nothing but Radlers.  Unfortunately, I have found no one near me who even knows what Radler beir is, much less, sells it. 

So if you also cannot get your mitt around a cold Radler, then I recommend a hearty Chianti or Bordeaux with this meal.