Oktoberfest, the German beer festival, is a 2+ week festival running from mid-September to the first weekend in October. The world’s largest one is held yearly in Munich, the capitol city of Bavaria, a state in the southeastern section of Germany. It is an important part of Bavarian culture that has been around since the Middle Ages. Cities around the world model their celebrations after Munich’s. It is something Eric has plans to someday get to with Andrew. This year’s festival started last weekend. Since another Oktoberfest in Germany (the land of some of Eric’s ancestors) is going to go on without him again this year, we’ll be attending some more local festivals (Milwaukee has a great one coming up in a few weeks!) and we’re cooking some German dishes at home.
Although it has evolved into a beer festival, it did not start out that way. The origin of Oktoberfest was the festivities surrounding the wedding of King Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities, which included horse races. The decision to repeat the horse races & celebrations the following year launched the annual Oktoberfest tradition. Wars and cholera epidemics canceled the event half a dozen times in the 19th century. Likewise, the festival was canceled during the WWI and WWII years. Booths selling bratwurst appeared on the scene in 1881, followed by beer booths appearing at the celebration in 1892.
This year’s food tribute to the tradition of Oktoberfest includes beer as an ingredient in a typical German dish.
Kielbasa & Sauerkraut in Beer
Kielbasa & Sauerkraut in Beer (adapted from keyingredient.com)
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet onion, cut into thin wedges
- 8 ounces new potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 pound smoked cooked kielbasa or bratwurst, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 12-ounce bottle Oktoberfest beer or other amber lager beer
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 14- to 16-ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- cooked spaetzle, rice or noodles, and mustard for serving
Directions:
In a 4-quart slow cooker, place the onion, potatoes and carrots.
Prep the onions, carrots & potatoes.
Top the veggies with the sausage. Combine the beer, broth, paprika, caraway seeds and pepper.
Mix up the beer, broth & spices.
Pour the broth mixture over the veggies & sausages.
Pour the beer mixture over the veggies & meat in the crock pot.
Top it all with the sauerkraut.
Add the sauerkraut to the top.
Cover the crock pot and cook the meal on low for 7 to 9 hours or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausages and vegetable mixture to a serving dish. Serve over spaetzle, rice or noodles. Top with mustard.
An authentic German Oktoberfest dish!
Prost! ~Linda
Kielbasa & Sauerkraut in Beer (adapted from keyingredient.com)
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet onion, cut into thin wedges
- 8 ounces new potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 pound smoked cooked kielbasa or bratwurst, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 12-ounce bottle Oktoberfest beer or other amber lager beer
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 14- to 16-ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- cooked spaetzle, rice or noodles and mustard for serving
Directions:
In a 4-quart slow cooker, place the onion, potatoes and carrots. Top the veggies with the sausage. Combine the beer, broth, paprika, caraway seeds and pepper. Pour the broth mixture over the veggies & sausages. Top it all with the sauerkraut.
Cover the crock pot and cook the meal on low for 7 to 9 hours or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausages and vegetable mixture to a serving dish. Serve over spaetzle, rice or noodles. Top with mustard.