Our Oktoberfest feast
Several years ago we went to an Oktoberfest event at Five Seasons Brewing in Atlanta. The polka band that played was really good. They played classic music and cover songs of modern artist like Britney Spears and Paul McCartney. We had so much fun that since then we have tried to recreate every year at home. This year we made pretzels, spaetzle, red cabbage, potatoes with seitan sausage.
Our pretzel recipe is modified from the Snake River Brewing Company recipe.
- 2 tablespoons yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Honey Butter Mix (half a stick of melted butter combined with 1/4 cup honey)
- Kosher salt, for sprinkling
In a very large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the flour, salt, sugar, honey, and eggs. Mix thoroughly for about 10 minutes. Let the dough rise for 15 minutes. Then you just roll out the dough in your hands to make long snake shapes and form that into the twisted pretzel. Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise for 1 hour. Brush with Honey Butter Mix and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for about 13 minutes at 425 degrees. Serve with the extra honey butter or spicy mustard.
For the Spaetzle:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
For the Spaetzle topping:
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Slowly add the egg-milk mixture to the dry ingredients. The dough should be thick and smooth. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. We used a potato ricer to form the spaetzle shapes but you could also try pressing the dough through a colander or slotted spoon. Drop the spaetzle into the water and cook for about 3 minutes. It will start floating on the top and you can then scoop it out. You may need to do this in small batches so it does not stick together. Give the spaetzle a quick rinse in cold water. For the topping saute the onion and mushrooms. Add the spaetzle to the saute pan and for a minute or two to brown it a little.
For the Red Cabbage:
- 1 head red cabbage chopped
- 2 chopped apples
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 2 tablespoons butter
Add all the ingredients to a large saute pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes stir occasionally.
For the Seitan Sausage:
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegtable oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon vegan no-beef base
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl starting with the dry ingredients first. kneading ingredients for 3 minutes and let rest. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Add the seitan to the baking dish in sausage shapes. Bake for 35 minutes. After its finished remove from baking dish and let cool.
For the Potatoes:
- 10 Small honey gold potatoes
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Boil the potatoes in water until mostly cooked. In a saute pan cook the onions then add the potatoes. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the sliced seitan sausage and cook till golden brown.
