Monday, September 20, 2010

Oktoberfest

Today is the start of Oktoberfest! This will be the 200th year it is celebrated!

What exactly is Oktoberfest? To begin with, THE original, authentic Oktoberfest it is a 16 day celebration in Munich, Germany that occurs mostly in September and usually ends on the first Sunday in October. The initial purpose was to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (who later became King Ludwig I) of Bavaria and actually did occur in October. The celebration was later moved to mid September in order to take advantage of the usually nicer weather in Germany at that time of the year and perhaps more importantly because most people are no longer farmers who need the valuable September weeks for harvesting their goods.

While many of us relate large quantities of beer with Oktoberfest, there are also many types of food associated with the festival. I admit I am a little biased to the culinary aspect for two main reasons. The first and obvious reason; I am a chef by profession and always enjoy trying new foods and then recreating the experience in the kitchen. The less obvious reason is that my wife, Margit grew up in Bavaria and always enjoys the tastes of home when I cook something from her childhood.

There are many types of food available in the vast beer halls of Munich during Oktoberfest. Choices range from Hendl (Chicken), Schweinsbraten (Roast Pork), Schweinshaxen (Pork Knuckle), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish, often mackarels on a stick), Würste (Sausages) to Sauerkraut, Blaukraut (Red Cabbage), Rettich (white radish), Knödeln (either Bread or Potato Dumpling) and Weisswurst (White sausage, usually eaten in the morning to cure “einen Kater” or hangover).

Besides the sausages, there is one staple food that stands out above the rest and that is the Bavarian Brezen or Pretzel. If you have never had the pleasure of eating a true Bavarian Pretzel, it is difficult to appreciate the differences between what is sold here in the States as a Pretzel and what is served in Bavaria. I suppose you may compare it with the difference between a bagel bought on the Lower East Side on Manhattan to a Bagel purchased at a supermarket






It was this Pretzel that I had searched for and attempted to recreate in the kitchen over the years with some decent facsimiles but all were lacking in the hard crunchy crust and soft inside associated with a true Brezen. My search was finally complete upon a trip to Germany last year with Margit. We had the opportunity to visit with Margit’s father and his wife Ursula. Ursula is about 90 years old and is sharp as a tack, we started talking about cooking and Pretzels and she gave me her recipe. I was excited to try it and couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen.

However, after my return home; my mood was dampened when I discovered that one of the key steps in preparing the pretzel prior to baking was dipping it in Lye. Yes, lye similar to what is in drain cleaner. Upon research I found that food grade lye is FDA approved and readily available over the Internet. Yes, I was able to continue my quest! If you are apprehensive about using lye in cooking (it is also used to make items such as hominy and the aforementioned bagel) you can substitute a baking soda bath prior to baking. The Brezen will not be quite the same, but almost. The recipe includes both options.

While these Brezen are delicious by the themselves or with some sweet mustard, to truly recreate the Oktoberfest Bier Garten experience try serving it with the traditional Bavarian cheese spread “Obatzda”.
This dish is not for those counting calories or are on a low fat diet as the two main ingredients are cheese and butter. It is however a delicious accompaniment to Bier and Brezen. There as as many versions of Obatzder in Bavaria as there are for chili in Texas. They all contain the same basic ingredients but with different variations. Some also include beer as an essential ingredient. I am partial to my wife’s family recipe and have included it as well.

The Bavarians have the word “Gemütlichkeit” that literally translates to coziness. However that is doing the word an injustice. The word has a much more abstract meaning. It actually is meant to convey a feeling of friendship, family and belonging. This is the feeling that one should have during Oktoberfest. So if you are enjoying a late summer day with friends and are having some Bier, Brezen and Obatzder then "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" or “a toast to good cheer”

Brezen

23 oz Bread Flour
4 oz Warm Milk approximately 110 deg
4 oz Warm Water approximately 110 deg
3 oz Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
1 pack Instant Yeast
1 Tbs Salt

Coarse (Kosher) Salt for sprinkling

Mix Yeast and Water
Add Butter, Salt and Milk to Flour
Add Water Mixture to Flour
Mix Flour mixture either by hand or in a stand mixture with dough hook until dough is formed. Approximately 10 minutes in mixer or until dough is elastic to touch.
Let dough stand for about one hour or until doubled.
Degas (punch down) Dough and cut into 12 pieces for large pretzels or 18 pieces for smaller Pretzels.

Roll out individual pieces into strands and twist to form pretzels.
Dip Pretzels into either Lye or Baking Soda Dip
Sprinkle with coarse salt

Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 20 -25 minutes at 375 deg until brown


For Lye Dip

1 oz Food Grade Lye
1 qt Water

Caution: If using Lye, you should wear goggles and gloves. Wash all surfaces after use and rinse any skin area that comes in contact with solution. Be sure to add the lye to the water as adding the water to the lye may cause a chemical reaction. DO NOT BOIL WATER

Drop two pretzels at a time in dip and remove with tongs. Avoid touching lye solution with hands,

Baking Soda Dip

½ cup Baking Soda
2 Qts Water

Boil Water and Baking Soda, Drop 2 pretzels at a time into water mixture and remove with slotted spoon. Place on paper towels to drain

Obatzda

14 Oz Ripe Camembert cheese (45-60%) Room temperature
3 Tbs Heavy Cream
2 oz unsalted butter Room temperature
1 med onion finely chopped
1-2 tsp sweet paprika
salt tt
pepper tt

Chopped Chives for garnish

Cut Camembert cheese into small cubes
Cut Butter into cubes
Mix Butter and Cheese together. Using a fork, be sure to break larger pieces down until all is blended
Fold in Onions, mix well
Mix in paprika
Add Salt and Pepper to taste

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. Garnish with chopped chives and pretzel sticks. Serve with Bavarian Pretzels or rye bread


Note You may substitute Brie for the Camembert or add 2-3 Tbs of beer for additional flavor

















Saturday, September 11, 2010

Salmonella and the Egg Lady



The recent outbreak of salmonella in the egg industry has caused me to reflect on cage-free vs. caged chicken eggs. For years I never gave it a thought and almost always bought “regular” eggs at the supermarket. After all, they are about half the price of cage-free eggs and they are after all just eggs right? Well after I met my wife Margit, she convinced me there was indeed a difference and that the battery caged hens were grossly mistreated and we should support the farmers that were more humane and sold "happy eggs". At first I went along because we were dating and I wanted to make brownie points, but after awhile I read up on caged hens on was appalled on how the hens were treated and the filth that surrounded the egg industry. While it is not my attempt to convince my readers to switch over to cage-free, I do suggest that you read some articles about the egg industry such as Humane Society Facts

As far as the Salmonella outbreak, it was traced back to two huge chicken farms that share the same facility. The Salmonella had origins in piles of feces and cross contamination from rodents causing the chickens to become infected, which in turn was passed to the eggs during formation. The contamination entered the eggs and went out to the end consumer.

Would cage-free eggs have prevented this outbreak?
Yes and no. The definition of cage-free is vague and does not necessarily imply free range eggs. In fact there is currently no legal definition of Cage Free or Free Range Eggs. The fact is that both types are much better then the battery caged egg system where a hen has about 57 square inches of living space, less then the size then a standard piece of paper. This lack of definition still allows vast quantities of hens to be housed together under the same conditions exist that may cause an outbreak.

Free-range however, means inherently smaller farms as well as less chance of mass contamination. I suggest that you go for free-range eggs, organic if you can. That is of course if you do not have a local Egg Lady

The Egg Lady
I first me the Egg Lady last year while I was attending the Maynard Farmer’s Market, She was selling farm fresh eggs for $3.00 a dozen and I thought it would be a great opportunity to enjoy local food at a reasonable price. Well, I was quite disappointed to find out that she was out of eggs. She did say that I could stop by her house later that afternoon since her “girls” would have some ready later that day.

She gave me her card and was glad to see that she lived less then a mile from me. (for those who are not familiar with Maynard MOST things are less then a mile from me). I did buy a dozen eggs later that afternoon and cooked eggs the next morning for breakfast and yes, there was a significant difference in color, taste and overall enjoyment of simple eggs over easy.

We have been back many time since, I have even had to wait sometimes for the Egg Lady or her husband (the Egg Man?) to go out to the roost and gather some eggs. It is a little disconcerting to have eggs that are still warm handed over to you, but that is indeed Mother Nature at her most natural state.

I do admit that there are still times when I do buy caged white eggs; for instance: Easter Egg coloring, processed egg beaters or pasteurized liquid eggs for large volume cooking. However, for normal day to day family eating, I will continue to go to the Egg Lady and when she finally retires I will try to find her predecessor and if I move to the city? Well free range organic eggs it will be.

Hope you enjoy the fall season that is around the corner. I am looking forward to the variety of interesting fruits and vegetables that will be available for cooking and eating.