OKTOBERFEST
Lederhosen not required; Sausage is.
AU: Prost y’all! If you haven’t noticed, it’s Fall. Officially. The fact that it’s 95ºF in Los Angeles is beside the point. The same way your favorite sweater is emerging from its Summer slumber, so too are our favorite cozy Fall recipes.
EK: Sweater Weather! Sweater Weather! This means something a little different this year since I moved to South Carolina, but it has been in the high 50s in the morning this week. Sweater Weather!!
AU: Since it’s the first week of October, we thought it apropos to deliver you an Oktoberfest-ish theme. To the Sausage Party we go!!
BRATS ‘N’ KRAUT WITH RIESLING
EK: Did you know that traditionally Octoberfest [in Germany] actually begins in September? This year, it was September 17- October 3rd. In the US, it can be celebrated all month long.
AU: WELP!!!! Guess we missed the boat on this celebration... But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a good sauseech…
EK: Exactly! When I moved to Chicago, I discovered so many different grilled sausages. Thanks to the German, Polish and Italian influences in Chicago, there were a lot of sausages to choose from and I love them all. But in the Fall, it is the brats that call my name.
As I was learning about midwestern sausage traditions and “beer brats,” I stumbled on a hot brat debate. “do you grill the brats and then soak/braise them in beer?” or “do you soak/braise them in beer and then grill them?”
Here’s the answer: If you are cooking raw uncooked sausages, you want to grill them first and then braise them. Otherwise, all the fat (and flavor) will melt into the braising liquid.
If you are braising pre-cooked/fully-cooked sausages, you can grill the sausages to mark them and then braise them or skip that step and braise straight from the package.
And, if you think beer brats are good, I have one better for you! Try braising your brats and sauerkraut in a lovely Riesling instead of beer. The wine provides all the delicious depth of flavor but the crisp, fruity apple notes compliment the sausages and sauerkraut better than the bitterness of beer.
I worked with the Schmitt Sohne Reisling to create recipes for Octoberfest made with their wines and I was impressed with how versatile and delicious the wines were with my favorite fall foods.
I have been making sauerkraut and sausages every fall since my early Chicago days. I figured that it was a delicious way to get some fermented foods into my diet. (ICYDK, sauerkraut is one of the top fermented foods that provides natural probiotics and is full of fiber and key nutrients.)
I generally bought the sauerkraut from the refrigerator case in the grocery store until I discovered the most delicious, delicate and fine-cut sauerkraut that is made in Germany and sold in a glass jar. The Kuhne Barrel Sauerkraut is easily found across the country at grocery stores and online.
And, when you are making a dish that is as simple as this, you need to make sure that all your ingredients are top-quality because there is little more to it than a jar of sauerkraut, a bottle of wine, some caraway seed, a bit of butter, and sausages.
Use your favorite brats, or any other favorite sausage. I am partial to any of the sausages from Schaller & Weber, and if you order from them, throw in a package of their amazing double-smoked bacon while you are shopping—you won’t regret it!
WEEKNIGHT LENTILS WITH SAUSAGE
AU: First of all, the food producer in me is like, “Really Anthony. Lentils?!? Could you pick an unsexier food?!?” I even used to make fun of my colleague (hi Vaia!!) for always bringing lentils to the office for lunch. But she was onto something.
Lentils are hearty, comforting, full of protein and fiber, as well as other important nutrients. They’re an unsung superfood that packs a nutritional punch. Plus, lentils are a simple quick-cooking meal that you can have on the table in minutes, especially if you pair them with some fully cooked supermarket sausages.
EK: Hold on a minute. I fell in love with lentils in Paris, so they are trés sexy to me! The French make a wonderful lentil salad that is sometimes called the ‘poor man’s caviar’ because they use these tiny gray green lentils that look caviar-ish.
AU: Okay, you’re right. I fell in love with lentils as part of the antipasto spread at (the now shuttered) Otto restaurant in NYC. That dish inspired me to start making lentils at home, and I started with this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten.
Her streamlined technique for Warm French Lentils is essentially three components:
1. Simmer the lentils in water with a peeled onion stuck with 6 whole cloves.
2. Sauté some leeks, carrots, and garlic—then add it to the lentil pot.
3. Make a punchy red wine vinegar and mustard dressing, and toss it with the drained warm lentils so they soak up all that sharp and tangy goodness.
And that’s really it! I always make a double batch and freeze half for a night when I don’t feel like cooking. I pair them with a pre-cooked sausage from the grocery store (this time it was spinach and feta chicken sausage). All you have to do is brown them until they’re heated through. (BTW, I use the same pan that I cooked the leeks and carrots in, so I don’t have to do more dishes.)
Look for any brand of French Green Le Puy Lentils. I used a bag from Rancho Gordo, and they cooked perfectly and evenly. Bon appétit!
EK: I love this recipe—it’s different from my interpretation of the French salad, but the flavors are very similar. But, the best part of your share is the fact that you can freeze them. I’ve never done that and now I will!
