The Good German Kitchen

The Good German Kitchen Veganised Family Recipes from Bavaria

By Laura Kazmeier

The Good German Kitchen

To my Mama who taught and instilled in me a love for cooking and baking. Who never got mad about mistakes or spills, instead helping me to find a way to fix them with a good portion of wird schon - ‘it’ll be fine.’

In remembrance of my beloved grandmother and talented cook Ingrid Noll.

“To enjoy cooking means to use a lot of imagination, improvisation and creativity to learn to vary recipes.”

- Ingrid Noll

Contents

8

s

Introduction

8

“Veganising”

14

Savouries

16

Warm & Sweet

44

Cakes

66

Desserts

90

Christmas

100

Sauces & Preserves

118

Index

124

IntroThis book is a collection of recipes that I have grown up with and which are dear to my heart. I am originally from Munich, Germany and moving around throughout my life including to study in the UK for the past four years, has made me cherish German food all the more. Food is an incredibly important part of culture and can be a piece of home. I feel it is valuable for everyone to pass on their own family’s dishes and food traditions so that we can all enjoy a wide variety. As Chinese-Australian cook Hetty Lui McKinnon says, there is not just one kind of authentic food for a country, as regionally dishes will vary.

Instead she says, ‘authentic is what’s personal to you.’

This book is my way of celebrating my culture and mine and my family’s own authentic foods.

In compiling recipes, I used three books that have been passed down in my family, detailed in the next few pages. I focussed on key dishes that felt most important to me and which we make often. I also aimed to showcase a good range of traditional, particularly Bavarian dishes as most of my family is from the state of Bavaria. Since my sister and I have been vegan for over two years now, a good number of the recipes had already been experimented with in various vegan versions over the past years. It only

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felt natural to create an entirely vegan cookbook as my way of making these recipes my own, passing them on and hopefully eternalising them!

By ‘veganising’ these recipes I also want to show a different side to German cuisine and to reflect societal changes. For most, the idea of German cuisine brings to mind images of meat, sausages and maybe some Christmas foods. By ‘veganising’ recipes, I want to show that German cuisine can be much more than just meaty dishes, while still being delicious, hearty and comforting. More importantly, it’s better for the animals and the environment!

I find the act of passing things down beautiful, and I feel fortunate to have these heirlooms in my family.

You will see that I sometimes show several scans for the same dish. In this way I want to celebrate this act of passing down, and how the dishes have withstood the test of time, becoming an important part of German culture. I hope that you enjoy the dishes and beautiful books as much as I do!

Laura Kazmeier

A handwritten recipe book given to my mother by my maternal grandmother Ingrid Noll. The cover reads: ‘My Recipes.’ It is a collection of some of my grandmother’s best recipes, partially passed down from her own mother, her mother-in-law or friends.

We use it often in my family, particularly during Christmas time, and my mother has continued to fill it with her own favourites.

A very comprehensive (over 400 pages) cookbook titled ‘Ich helf dir Kochen’ - ‘I help you cook’ which belonged to my grandmother. It was published in 1961.

duction 11

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A book passed down from my maternal great grandmother Antonie Schreiner. In unwrapping it, I quickly realised there was more to it than originally thought. It turned out to be two books wrapped in some department store paper. The first was a yellowed grid paper notebook in which she had noted down her own recipes. Within this was an old, very worn and falling apart baking book by Dr. Oetker. It was most likely published during the early 20th century due to the use of black-letter, lack of

food photographs and because the company was founded in 1891. It was very interesting to see how this book solely and specifically addressed the ‘housewife’ or the ‘home-maker.’ The writers couldn’t imagine anyone else reading a baking book! In the back of this book and in between pages there was also a large collection of leaflets and notes from my great grandmother and possibly grandmother too.

Some of these contained recipes as well and these are featured throughout this book.

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“For the housewife, from Dr. A. Oetker”

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15

“Vegan ising” When working on these recipes, I tried to keep them as close as possible to the original recipe and of course the original taste of the dish. Achieving the same taste I remember in the non-vegan versions was a priority. Some recipes - baked goods especially - require a lot of replacements, however the given recipes yield the best results. This section explains the replacements I have used in this book to give a greater understanding of the role of dairy or eggs in dishes and how vegan replacements work.

16

n ‘

Eggs

Milk

Eggs play a role in making doughs fluffy, binding ingredients, adding moisture and sometimes all of this at once! They are the most difficult ingredient to replace but luckily, there are a number of substitutes out there to experiment with. Some egg replacements include oil, soy milk mixed with apple cider vinegar, apple sauce, mashed bananas, as well as the options listed below. Egg replacements in powder form are also becoming more widely available in supermarkets at the moment, which is usually a mix of things like ground flax-seeds, tapioca or carob bean gum. The options listed below are what I have used in the recipes in this book, so you can refer back to this when the ingredient list says ‘flax egg’ or ‘soy flour egg.’ f you are able to find egg replacement powders in your local store, you can always use these instead, and simply follow the instructions on the package.

In most recipes, milk can simply be replaced 1:1 with plant-based milk. In the recipes in this book I have used either soy or oat milk. These are my favourite plant-based milks to use personally and I can guarantee that the recipes will work with these.

Soy milk works especially well when a dish needs to thicken up, like with semolina pudding (p. 55) or in apple strudel (p. 47). Nevertheless you can try substituting your own favourite plant based milks.

However, whenever the dish needs to thicken up, I would not recommend almond milk.

Aquafaba - chickpea brine

Butter is another easy ingredient to swap, it can be replaced 1:1 with vegan butter. Margarine may work sometimes, however vegan butter is the safe bet and is what I use, particularly in baking.

3 tbsp per egg or 2 tbsp per egg white Aquafaba is the liquid that canned chickpeas come in! It is a particularly suited to replace egg whites as it will stiffen up just like them when beat with a handmixer. It’s great for creating fluffy and light dishes such as the chocolate mousse (p. 97)! Aquafaba itself doesn’t have much of an own taste and with the addition of salt, sugar and other ingredients you really can’t taste it at all!

Butter and other dairy products

Other dairy products such as cream or sour cream can typically be replaced 1:1 with vegan versions.

Great options are increasingly becoming widely available in supermarkets.

Soy flour egg 1 tbsp soy flour + 2 tbsp water

Flax egg 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water The flax egg mix should sit for about 5 minutes before being added to a recipe. In this time it will soak up the water, become gooey and unfold its binding properties. Chia seeds will also work instead of flax seeds if you have these.

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Savouries 18

s

This chapter contains a range of dishes including mains, sides and salads. Many traditional savoury German dishes are very meat-heavy, therefore making them vegan would require a lot of changes to original recipes or simply the use of store-bought vegan meat alternatives. I have mainly focused on traditionally vegetarian dishes in this section and suggested the addition of vegan meat alternatives in some recipes. There are many great options out there today. Personally, I am a big fan of sides such as Knödl (German dumplings) or Blaukraut (red cabbage) and could pretty much just live off of these!

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20

Semolina Dumpling Soup Grießnockerlsuppe

The smell of semolina and parsley is probably one of my favourites and feels very comforting. This dish is very typical for Bavaria and of course, traditionally made with beef broth. However, with a good, strongflavoured vegetable broth it tastes just as good!

Traditionally, this soup is served as a starter with about three dumplings per person, but you can also serve it as a main dish with more dumplings.

Serves 3-4 30g vegan butter 1 soy flour egg 60g durum wheat semolina 500ml vegetable broth Some chopped flat parsley 1/4 tsp salt

Using an electric hand-mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the soy flour egg and mix well.

Add the semolina, parsley and salt and mix until combined. Leave the mixture to sit for about 15 minutes to firm up.

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil, then reduce the temperature to medium-low - the broth should not be boiling or the dumplings will fall apart.

Using two teaspoons shape oval dumplings with clear edges and a smooth surface. Drop the formed dumplings into the broth and gently simmer for 2530 minutes. The dumplings should have doubled in size and be soft inside but not mushy.

Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

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Asparagus with Potatoes Spargel mit Kartoffeln

This is a very special meal because we only have it a couple times a year during aspargus season.

Typically starting in mid-April, asparagus season in Germany ends on the 24th of June, which is known as Johannis day or ‘Spargelsilvester’ - asparagus new year. During the season you can buy regional asparagus from farm stands by roadsides or of course from farmer’s markets. Traditionally, asparagus is simply cooked and served with

Serves 4 1kg white asparagus 600g potatoes 2l water 10g vegan butter 2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar A handful of chopped flat parsley More salt and butter to serve.

potatoes and butter or sauce hollandaise. A recipe for vegan sauce hollandaise can be found on p. 120.

I like to use a fork to mash up the potato and then add salt and some butter which immediately melts on the hot potato. I cut up the asparagus and add a little bit of everything to every forkful! The dish is great on its own but could also served with vegan schnitzel or steak alternatives.

Wash and peel the asparagus from the head downwards. Cut off the woody bits at the bottom.

Use the peels to cook a broth, adding about 2L water, the vegan butter, 2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer for around 30 minutes. Then remove the peels form the broth using a sieve or slotted spoon.

When the broth is almost done cooking, wash the potatoes and, in a separate pot, bring water to a boil.

Cook the potatoes for around 25-30 minutes until soft. Then peel.

While the potatoes are cooking, add the peeled asparagus to the broth and simmer for around 20-25 minutes until softened but still firm to bite (the time will vary depending on how thick your asparagus is).

Add the potatoes to a bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Serve the asparagus and parsley potatoes with vegan butter or sauce hollandaise.

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24

Creamy Mushrooms with Bread Dumplings Schwammerl/ Pilze in Rahmsoße mit Semmelknödel This creamy and delicious dish is very typical for Bavaria and you could probably find it in most Bavarian Gaststätten (restaurants). Schwammerl is the Bavarian term for mushrooms, whereas in high German they are called Pilze. I definitely suggest using a range of mushrooms, as this will make this dish particularly delicious. It is also often also served with Blaukraut (red cabbage), which you can find on p. 30, and/or with a fresh salad.

Serves 4 For the dumplings: 400g bread rolls or white bread from the day before 325ml soy milk 4 tbsp soy flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp mace 1 onion 30g flat leaf parsley 1 tbsp oil 4 tbsp bread crumbs (Semmelbrösel) 2 tbsp potato starch.

Cut the bread rolls into about 1cm sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour in 275 ml of the soy milk and stir briefly. Mix the remaining soy milk with soy flour until smooth and season with salt and nutmeg.

Fold into the bread roll mixture and mix well.

Finely dice the onion and chop the parsley. Add the oil to a hot pan and sauté the diced onion for around 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the parsley and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add to the dumpling mass together with breadcrumbs and potato starch.

Knead well and then cover and let sit for 10 minutes to soak up the moisture and flavour.

Bring plenty of salted water to a boil, then turn the heat to low. With wet hands, form 8 dumplings.

Add the dumplings to the water, making sure it is no longer boiling, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until they float to the surface.

-continued-

25

For the mushroom sauce 800g mixed mushrooms e.g. Button mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, chanterelles 1 onion 250ml vegan cream 100ml vegan white wine 2 tbsp cornstarch Vegetable oil / butter Salt Pepper

26

While the dumplings are cooking wash the mushrooms thoroughly and cut them into slices.

Dice the onion and sweat in the butter until translucent. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and stir in the vegan cream. Mix the cornstarch with cold water and add to the sauce, stirring constantly. Bring everything to a boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the dish in a low plate, allowing one or two dumplings per person and covering this in the mushroom sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Proverb: Every pot finds its lid.

The English equivalent would be ‘there’s a nut for every bolt,’ meaning every person will find their perfect match.

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28

Lentil Pumpkin Veg Linsen-Kürbis Gemüse

This is a beautiful warm and healthy veg dish perfect for cold autumn and winter days. As my grandmother specified in brackets, the recipe originally stems from the famous German cook Alfons Schuhbeck, whom she actually took some cooking classes from! This was a very simple one to ‘veganise,’ I just swapped beef broth for vegetable broth! My grandmother also writes in her recipe that lentils bring luck, so eat up!

Serves 4 150g lentils 1 onion 1tsp tomato paste 400ml of vegetable broth 40g carrots 40g root celery 40g leek 200g of pumpkin Marjoram Salt

Soak the lentils overnight and drain.

Dice the onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in the lentils, the tomato paste and vegetable stock. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Dice the vegetables and add them to the broth.

Add a pinch of marjoram and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Pour off the broth and add 1 tsp of mustard, 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp of butter, 2 tsp of oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the broth back to the lentils and serve!

Pepper 1tsp hot mustard 2 tsp butter 2 tsp vinegar 2 tsp olive oil

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Potato Pancakes

Reiberdatschi/Kartoffelpuffer Reiberdatschi is the Bavarian term for potato pancakes whereas in high German they are known as Kartoffelpuffer. They are similar to hash browns but much flatter and larger, and served very differently.

Reiberdatschi would typically be eaten for lunch or even dinner, often alongside a salad. Something that may be surprising is that Reiberdatschi are also often enjoyed with apple sauce and cinnamon and

Serves 4 1kg raw potatoes 100g flour 4 soy flour eggs 1/2 tsp salt 1-2 onions (optional) Vegetable oil for frying • Desired topping: apple sauce and cinnamon sugar or soy yoghurt/ vegan sour cream and herbs e.g. parsley, chive

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sugar! Definitely give this more unusual combination a try, you may be surprised. You can find a recipe for apple sauce on p. 123. If it’s not your thing though, potato pancakes are also delicious served savoury with vegan soy cream or yoghurt as well as some chopped parsley and chives.

Peel and grate the raw potatoes. Squeeze out the potatoes in a sieve or using in a bowl lined with a kitchen towel to absorb as much of the liquid as possible.

In a large bowl mix the potatoes, flour and salt and optionally a finely grated onion. Add the soy flour eggs and mix well.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil or vegan butter in a pan. Add spoonfuls of the potato mixture, press until flat with the spoon. Fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides.

Serve salty with vegan yoghurt/sour cream and some chopped herbs or sweet with apple sauce and cinnamon and sugar!

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Red Cabbage Blaukraut

Though Blaukraut directly translates to ‘blue cabbage,’ it is truly a more red and purple than blue colour. This sweet and sour dish is served as a side, traditionally with meaty dishes. It’s great with vegan Schnitzel or steaks, or with Knödl (German dumplings) such as the bread dumplings on p. 23.

Serves 4 1kg red cabbage 1 sour apple (e.g.

Boskop) 100ml red wine vinegar 1 tbsp vegan butter 1 onion 25g sugar 200ml red wine 125ml broth 70g cranberries 1/2 cinnamon stick 1-2 cloves 1 bay leaf Salt Pepper 2-4 tablespoons of vinegar and 1/2 cup of red wine

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Remove the outer leaves and the stalk from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into fine strips. Peel the apple and remove the core.

Sprinkle the cabbage with salt and pour in the red wine vinegar. Mix everything well and leave to sit for about 2 hours.

Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Steam the diced onion, grated apple and sugar until translucent.

Add the red cabbage with all the liquid and braise.

Add the red wine, vegetable broth, lingonberry jam, the cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf and mix well.

Cook in a closed pot for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaves before serving.

Tonguetwister: Red cabbage stays red cabbage and wedding dress stays wedding dress.

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Sour White Cabbage Sauerkraut

This very traditional side known around the world is a great addition to vegan chicken alternatives or alongside potato dishes. In Germany it is often eaten with Schupfnudeln, which are potato noodles.

In this recipe the sauerkraut is slightly sweetened and mellowed with some onions and some sugar and the addition of juniper berries, bay leaf and peppercorns is very typical for Bavaria - just like you’d get Sauerkraut in a Bavarian restaurant!

Serves 4 1 kg sauerkraut 2 tbsp vegan butter 2 onions 100ml white wine 1 bay leaf 3 juniper berries 3-4 peppercorns 1 potato Salt Sugar

Peel and dice the onion. Heat the vegan butter in a pan. Steam the sliced onion in it until translucent.

Add the sauerkraut, braise. Pour in white wine and about 1/2 L water.

Add bay leaves, crushed juniper berries and peppercorns to the cabbage.

Cook in a closed saucepan over medium heat for 35-45 minutes.

Rub a peeled raw potato into the cabbage, stir and bring to the boil once so that the liquid is bound Season the sauerkraut with salt and a pinch of sugar and leave to cool.

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Creamy German Turnip Kohlrabigemüse

Kohlrabi, also known as german turnip, is a particularly delicious root vegetable with a very mild, slightly sweet and nutty flavour. This creamy kohlrabi is great alongside vegan meat alternatives and boiled potatoes. You can substitute normal cream for whipped cream, however this will make it more creamy and luxurious!

Serves 4 About 1kg kohlrabi (4-6) 2 tbsp vegan butter 150ml broth Salt Sugar Pepper 50ml vegan whipped cream 1 tbsp chopped parsley.

Peel the kohlrabi thinly and remove the woody parts.

Cut it into slices or sticks.

Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan and cook the Kohlrabi pieces in it.

Add the stock and season with salt, sugar and pepper. Cook in a closed saucepan over low heat for 5-7 minutes.

Add the cream and briefly bring to a boil. Finally, sprinkle with parsley.

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Egg Pasta Spätzle

Spätzle originated in Swabia, a part of southern Germany which my father’s family comes from.

They are originally a type of small egg pasta often served as a side with meat dishes. They taste great alongside vegan meat alternatives, especially with a gravy. They can also be made into Käsespätzle (cheese Spätzle) by adding grated vegan cheese and fried onions, or they can be mixed with Sauerkraut (p.32). Spätzle were originally made by scraping long thin strips of dough off a wooden board (Spätzlebrett) into boiling water, however nowadays most people will use a type of strainer or grater known as a Spätzlehobel or Spätzlesieb. You can find these under the name Spätzle slicer in the UK.

Serves 4 500g flour 4 soy flour eggs Salt 250-375ml warm water 50g vegan butter

Add the flour, soy flour eggs, salt and warm water to a bowl and mix thoroughly with a hand-mixer until you start to see bubbles form in the batter.

Add water and salt to a large pot and bring to a boil.

Add portions of the batter to the Spätzle slicer and allow the sliced pieces to fall into the water. Leave to cook, stirring infrequently and waiting until the Spätzle have risen to the top. Meanwhile, in a separate pan melt the vegan butter.

Once done, use a strainer to remove the Spätzle from the water and run under cold water and drain well. Then add to the butter and toss until coated.

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Potato Salad Kartoffelsalat

This delicious, creamy potato salad is an all time favourite in my family and I have memories of my grandmother preparing it in her kitchen. In my family, it was one of a variety of salads that we would traditionally eat as a first course on Christmas Eve. However, it’s great for any time of year. It would be perfect for a picnic or alongside vegan meat alternatives for dinner. This recipe was an easy one to turn vegan - I only swapped beef broth with vegetable broth and normal mayonnaise with

Serves 4 1kg potatoes 1 onion 250ml vegetable broth 3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 glass of pickled gherkins Salt Pepper

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vegan mayonnaise, which is widely available now. If you’re not able to find a vegan mayonnaise though, there are also plenty of simple recipes out there on how to make your own! The more time this potato salad has to sit and soak up the flavours, the better and creamier it will be! Therefore, I recommend making it the day before and to letting it sit in the fridge overnight. Just make sure to let it warm to room temperature before serving.

Steam the potatoes for 20-30 minutes - after 20 minutes prick with a fork to see if they are soft enough.

Dice the onion and mix with the broth, vegan mayonnaise and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and slice the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the potatoes.

Slice the pickled gherkins and add to taste. Mix everything well and leave to sit.

Jetzt haben wir den Salat!

Saying: Now we have the salad!

The English equivalent would be ‘now we’re in a pickle’ or now we’re in a fine mess.’ The expression is used when something has gone wrong, particularly if it was somewhat anticipated or the action that led to it was warned against beforehand.

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Apple Celery Salad

Apfel-Selleriesalat/Waldorfsalat Waldorfsalat is another salad which my grandmother would make every year at Christmas, a tradition which we’ve carried on since her passing. The salad is creamy yet very fresh, with a delicious combination of sweet and savoury flavours and a nice range of textures. This was another easy recipe to ‘veganise,’ I simply swapped the regular mayonnaise and cream for vegan versions. You really can’t tell the difference to the original dish and this salad always gets a lot of love from my wider family!

Serves 6 500g apples 500 g root celery (celeriac) 1 can of pineapple 100g walnuts roughly chopped 125g vegan mayonnaise 1/8L vegan cream Juice from 1/2 a lemon A pinch of sugar

Wash the celery root, peel and cut it into pieces.

Cook in a boiling pot of salt water until soft. Leave to cool.

Cut the apples and cooked celery into fine strips.

Cut the pineapple into small bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl mix the vegan mayonnaise, vegan cream, lemon juice, walnuts and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour all ingredients into the dressing and mix well.

Leave to sit before an hour or two before serving.

Salt and pepper to taste

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Tomato Pasta Salad Nudelsalat

Pasta salad is a very typical German dish, however more traditional ones, like my grandmother’s recipe, tend to contain a lot of meat and dairy. This is a lighter veggie pasta salad with an Italian edge that my family has been making for many years.

It’s perfect for picnics, easy lunches on the go, for dinner parties or alongside a vegan meat alternative!

I would suggest making this salad a couple hours before serving, so that it has time to soak up all the delicious flavours. Also, make sure to get high quality sun-dried tomatoes, preferably in olive oil.

Serves 8-10 750g pasta (Gemelli, Farfalle or Fusilli work well) 300g cocktail or cherry tomatoes 300g sun-dried tomatoes 100-150g pine nuts 100g arugula/rocket salad 3 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp oil from the sundried tomatoes 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

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Cook the pasta until al dente. Add some olive oil so they don’t stick together and leave to cool.

Cut the cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes into smaller pieces and mix with the cooled pasta.

Make a vinaigrette by mixing the olive oil, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Pay attention here to the intensity of the oil from your jar of sun-dried tomatoes, which can vary. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, add the arugula and pine nuts and mix well.

Leave to sit for a few hours before serving.

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Cucumber Salad Gurkensalat

This fresh and creamy salad is great as a side with potato dishes, vegan meat alternatives or pasta dishes. We have it alongside warm dishes but also as an addition to a cold bread dinner. I think cucumbers are underrated and this salad will convince you of just that! It was very simple to ‘veganise,’ I just replaced the normal cream with vegan cream. When making the salad, definitely use a mandolin slicer so that the cucumber slices are very thin.

Serves 4 2 cucumbers 2 tbsp white wine vinegar 100ml vegan cream 1/2 bunch fresh dill Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and peel the cucumbers - if organic, you can leave the peel on. Cut into very thin slices using a mandolin slicer and add to a bowl.

Mix the vegan cream and vinegar together. Wash and finely chop the dill, then stir this into the dressing. Pour the dressing over the cucumber slices and mix well.

Let the cucumber salad stand in a cool place for about 2 hours to soak up the flavours. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

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Warm

&Sweet 46

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t

This chapter contains a host of warm, sweet and comforting dishes. Many of these will likely be unfamiliar to most, as they are not what German cuisine is known for nowadays. However, these types of dishes made up a huge part of my mother’s childhood, when meat was much more expensive and viewed as something special to only be consumed about once a week. As a big sweet tooth myself, this might be my favourite chapter, and these dishes bring up warm and sweet childhood memories.

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Apple Strudel Apfelstrudel

While most of the world is familiar with the Viennese apple strudel this one is slightly different and typical for southern Germany because of the addition of sour cream and milk on top. This makes it more soft and gooey and, in my humble opinion much more delicious! Unfortunately, vegan sour cream is hard

however, if you have the time, making your own is a fun and surprisingly easy task! I have fond memories of helping my grandmother and mom make apple strudel - it is a great dish to make with several people as there are a lot of apples to cut up and a lot of steps involved. The rolling of the strudel parcels is

to find, however vegan creme fraiche, such as the one from Oatly works very well. If you can find vegan sour cream, use that! If you’re short on time, you can also use store-bought strudel dough for this recipe,

a personal favourite. This recipe will also work great with cherries instead of apples. Apple strudel is great on its own, but particularly delicious with vanilla sauce (p. 121) or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!

Serves 5-6 For the Strudel dough: 375g flour A pinch of salt 2 tbsp vegetable oil Small cup lukewarm water Extra flour

Weigh out the flour in a large bowl. Create a little hollow and fill with the salt, oil and water. Stir with a spoon until combined.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes and slam the dough onto a floured surface several times until smooth. Form into a ball and put it back in the bowl.

Cover and let sit for about an hour.

Roll out the dough using a rolling pin on a floured surface. Once it gets quite large pick it up and stretch it over the backs of your hands, turning over the dough until very thin.

When the dough gets bigger and thinner, and thus difficult to handle, put it down on a lightly floured tablecloth. Continue stretching the dough from every side. The final result should be rectangular in shape and paper-thin. Cut the thin strudel dough into four equal pieces.

- Continued -

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For the Strudel Store-bought strudel dough (optional) 1kg apples Juice of 1/2 a lemon 2 tsp cinnamon 200g sugar 60g sultanas 1 pot vegan creme fraiche or sour cream 50-100g melted butter 250ml soy milk

Wash, peel and cut the apples into quarters. Remove the core, then half again lengthwise and cut into small slices. Add to a large bowl and cover with lemon juice. Add cinnamon, sugar and sultanas and mix well.

Grease a large baking dish.

Place one piece of strudel dough on a tea towel. If using store bought strudel dough, brush the first piece with melted butter and place another piece on top to make it more sturdy.

Along the short side, fill about 1/3 of the dough with the apples. Add a couple teaspoons of vegan creme fraiche or sour cream on top.

Fold in the sides (long edges), brush on some melted butter and fold over the top to avoid any of the filling coming out. Brush the remaining strudel dough with melted butter.

Pick up the edge of the tea towel to help roll the Strudel, starting at the edge with the filling. Put the finished roll in the casserole dish with the seam-side down.

Repeat this process 3-5 times depending on the size of your baking dish. The rolls should be packed in tightly. Once all Strudel rolls are in the baking dish, brush the top with melted butter.

Bake for about an hour at 180ºC. Around 15-20 minutes before the Strudel is done, pour over 250ml of hot soy milk. Return to the oven for the rest of the hour or until the milk has thickened and the Strudel is golden brown.

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Proverb: The apple doesn’t fall far from the stem.

The English equivalent is of course ‘ the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,’ meaning children are often very alike to their parents in their character or qualities.

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Apple Fritters Apfelkücherl

Apple fritters are clearly not the healthiest, but delicious treats! Though sometimes made with a batter containing beer, this recipe - my grandmother’s - simply uses a pancake batter to cover the apple slices. Apple fritters can be served as a main course with a hearty soup before, or as a snack for afternoon coffee. They also make a great dessert served with vanilla ice cream! If serving as a main, I would recommend using one medium to large sized apple per person.

Serves 3-4, makes around 15 apple fritters 3 medium sized apples 100g flour 125ml soy/oat milk 2 tsp sugar A pinch of salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 soy flour egg 300ml vegetable oil 3 tbsp sugar 1tsp cinnamon

Mix the flour, plant milk, sugar, salt, baking powder and egg replacement to create a thick pancake batter.

Wash the apples, remove the core and cut it into thick slices. In a separate bowl mix 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon and set aside. Pour the oil into a wide pot and put on medium-high heat.

Once the oil is very hot, use a fork to dip the apple slices into the pancake batter making sure they are completely covered and add to the pot. Fry in the oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Use two forks to turn the apple fritters halfway and check that they are not too brown.

Once the apple fritters are done, place on a paper towel to remove some excess fat.

While still hot, roll the apple fritters in the cinnamon sugar mix until covered. Then add to a serving plate.

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Elderflower Fritters Hollerkücherl

Besides making syrup, elderflower fritters are a great way to consume the deliciously smelling elderflower blossoms during the season. I remember the first time my mom made these with my sister and I. We had a lovely outing in the sunshine to go pick the blossoms and made the fritters together as soon as we got home - a great experience overall and perfect for kids! The best time to pick elderflower blossoms is when the sun is shining, preferably right after a rainy day. The blossoms will be clean and

Serves 3-4 8-10 elderflower blossoms 100g flour 125ml oat/soy milk 2 tbsp sugar

emit a lovely smell. When picking the elderflower blossoms try to find bushes that aren’t too close to streets or and pick the blossoms that are higher up. It is best to pick clean blossoms and not let them touch water at all, however you can dip them in a bowl of cold water for a short time. Running water would cause them to lose their strong aroma. Hollerkücherl make for another great afternoon treat, but could also be served as a dessert.

Mix all the flour, plant milk, sugar, salt, baking powder and soy flour egg until you have a thick pancake batter.

Pour the vegetable oil into a wide pot and put on medium-high heat.

1 soy flour egg

Once the oil is hot, dip the elderflower blossoms into the pancake batter, then fry in the oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove some excess fat.

300ml vegetable oil for frying

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

A pinch of salt 1 tsp baking powder

• Powdered sugar for dusting

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56

Semolina Pudding Griesbrei

Semolina pudding is the ultimate comfort food, deliciously warm, sweet and creamy, plus it’s easy to make! In my family we tend to serve it with a mix of cinnamon and sugar and cherries from a glass. It ‘s great with a host of toppings such as apple sauce (p.123) fresh or canned fruit or compote (p. 122)! I like to use a soy milk or even a barista oat/soy milk for this recipe, as these will help the pudding thicken up more and become more creamy.

Serves 4 1L soy or oat milk 140g soft wheat semolina 2-3 tbsp sugar A pinch of salt • 2-3tbsp sugar 1tsp cinnamon Desired topping - fresh or canned fruit, apple sauce or compote!

Bring the oat or soy milk and salt to a boil in a medium sized pot, stirring constantly.

Take the pot off of the heat and add in the semolina.

Place it back on the heat and bring to a boil once more, stirring often until the mixture becomes thick.

Add sugar to taste and let it sit, covered for five more minutes before serving.

Serve with a mix of cinnamon and sugar and your favourite topping.

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Rice Pudding Milchreis

Rice pudding is known and sold around the world, but I guarantee you, this homemade version will be much better than anything you’ve had before. It’s especially delicious served with cinnamon sugar and apple sauce. You can find a recipe for apple sauce on p. 123. We typically have both rice pudding and semolina pudding as main meals for dinner with a savoury starter such as a soup or salad.

Serves 4 800ml oat or soy milk 220g pudding/shortgrain rice 2-3 tbsp sugar A pinch of salt Sultanas, vanilla (optional) • 2-3 tbsp sugar 1tsp cinnamon Desired topping - apple sauce, fresh or canned fruit or compote!

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Add the milk, salt, optional vanilla and rice to a pot and mix well. Place the mixture on medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer on medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes, or until the rice is soft and the pudding becomes thick and creamy. Continue to stir often.

Add sugar to taste and sultanas as desired.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon. Serve with cinnamon sugar and your favourite topping.

Proverb: Too many cooks spoil the pudding.

The English equivalent would be ‘too many cooks spoil the broth,’ meaning it’s not good to have too many people involved in a task.

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60

Cherry Bread Pudding Kirschenmichel/Kirschenplotzer Kirschenmichel is a very traditional dish in Bavaria and a great way to use up stale bread! It definitely originated in times when one had to make the most of what one had. The dish makes for a great sweet main with a hearty soup as a starter, but could also be served as a dessert in smaller portions. I fondly remember my grandmother making us this dish quite often for lunchtime when we would come over.

Serves 4-5 1 glass of cherries (750g) 2-3 bread rolls or white bread (150g) 2 flax eggs 150g soy or oat milk 50g vegan butter 50g sugar 6 tbsp aquafaba 1/2 tsp baking powder Extra vegan butter and breadcrumbs to grease the pan 1 tbsp cornstarch

Cut the bread rolls into small pieces. Add to a bowl and cover in the soy or oat milk. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the melted butter, flax eggs and sugar to the bowl and mix well.

Using an electric hand-mixer, beat the aquafaba and baking powder until stiff - this can 10 minutes. Fold the stiff aquafaba into the rest of the batter.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a baking dish with butter and breadcrumbs. Pour the cherries through a sieve, making sure to keep the liquid - this can go straight in a pot to make a sauce with later.

Into the greased pan, alternately add the batter and the cherries, starting with about a third of the batter and finishing with batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Just before the bread pudding is ready, make the cherry sauce: Bring the liquid from the cherries to a boil with about 1 tbsp of cornstarch and stir until it has slightly thickened. Serve over the warm pudding.

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62

Sweet Yeast Dumplings Dampfnudeln

Dampfnudeln are comforting, fluffy and sweet dumplings, served for lunch or dinner with a soup or salad as a starter. They may also be served as a dessert in smaller portions. This recipe is from my great grandmother on my grandfather’s side who was known as ‘Goggo.’ I absolutely love yeast dough, both in terms of consistency and taste. The process of making it is a great way to get rid of some hidden aggression too, as it needs to be kneaded

Serves 4-5 500g flour 80g vegan butter 80g sugar 250ml soy or oat milk 1 soy flour egg 40g yeast A pinch of salt 250ml milk 60g vegan butter 1 apple (optional)

and slammed onto the kitchen counter a lot! For this recipe, it is vital to have a heavy baking dish or casserole dish with lid, and not to take a peak at the dumplings before they’ve been in the oven for 30 minutes. The yeast dough needs time to rise in the oven and will otherwise fall back, resulting in disappointing Dampfnudeln! The dumplings are typically served with vanilla sauce or compote, which you can find on pages 121 and 122.

Add the flour to a large bowl and create a hollow in the middle. Break up the yeast and sprinkle into the hollow. Weigh out the sugar and use 2 tbsp of this to cover the yeast. Pour in the warmed up milk and stir gently. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm area for 30 minutes.

Add the rest of the sugar as well as the soy egg and mix into a dough. Knead and beat the dough thoroughly until it is smooth and springy. Cover again and let sit for 30 minutes by which time the dough should have roughly doubled in size.

Split the dough into equal pieces and roll into balls.

Cover these again and leave to rise for another 15 minutes.

Once the 15 minutes are almost up, preheat the oven to 180ºC. In a pot, warm up the butter and milk, optionally you can add some finely chopped apple pieces here too.

Add the milk mixture to a large casserole dish (with lid!) Then add the risen yeast dumplings. Put the lid on the dish and bake for 30 minutes, making sure not to open the lid before the time is over!

Serve with vanilla sauce or compote.

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Green Spelt Apple Casserole Grünkernauflauf mit Äpfeln In Germany we have many sweet and fruity casserole dishes. This one is definitely one of my favourites! If you have never tried green spelt before, you must give it a go. This dish is great for lunch or dinner. We often serve it simply as is or with apple sauce for a delicious apple overload. You can find the recipe for apple sauce on p. 123.

Serves 4 1L plant milk 100g ground green spelt 50g vegan butter/ margarine 120g sugar 2 soy flour eggs 6 tbsp aquafaba 50 g chopped nuts 50g raisins 500g grated apples Juice of 1/2 lemon 1-2 tsp lemon zest

Bring the plant milk to a boil. Add in the green spelt and cook until it becomes thick.

In a large bowl, beat the soy eggs, vegan butter and sugar until creamy using an electric hand-mixer. Add the cooled spelt porridge, nuts, raisins, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt.

Beat the aquafaba using an electric hand-mixer until stiff. Fold the aquafaba into the batter.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a baking dish and fill alternately with the batter and grated apples. The last layer should be the green spelt batter. Top with a few pieces of vegan butter.

Bake for 30 minutes a 180ºC.

A pinch of salt Extra butter to grease the pan

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Yeast Pancakes Riwanzerl

Riwanzerl are simply small pancakes made with a yeast batter, and are a very traditional Bavarian dish. The yeast dough gives them a slightly different flavour than normal pancakes and makes them more fluffy. In my grandmother’s original recipe she states to serve these with warm milk and cinnamon sugar, which is delicious. However, any of your favourite pancake toppings will work great too! If you love pancakes and want to try something a bit different, this is the recipe for you!

Makes around 25 small pancakes 250g flour 500ml soy or oat milk 10-15g yeast 1 soy flour egg or 1 tbsp vegetable oil Some sugar Some salt • Desired topping: extra vegan milk and cinnamon and sugar, jam or other spreads

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Weigh out the flour and create a hollow. Break up the yeast and sprinkle into the hollow. Cover in a tbsp of sugar. Pour the warmed up milk on top and stir gently. Cover and leave to sit for 30 minutes.

Add the soy egg or tbsp of oil, a pinch of salt and more sugar as desired. Mix well to create a pancake batter.

Heat up a tbsp of oil in a pan. Once hot, pour in the batter, making small pancakes that are around 10cm in diameter.

Serve in little bowls covered in warm milk and cinnamon sugar, or with jam or other spreads.

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Cakes 68

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Bakeries all around Germany sell delicious cakes all year round, but it’s also nice to bake your own, fill the kitchen with a delicious smell, have guests over or simply enjoy it with family. Back in the day, it was typical to bake a Mittwochskuchen (Wednesday cakes) and Sonntagskuchen (Sunday cakes), with the former being a little more simple - a loaf or cake without fruit - while the latter would be more extravagant. Both would be served for afternoon coffee. Though we tend not to make cakes for a Wednesday nowadays, my family often enjoys Kaffee und Kuchen (afternoon coffee and cake) on a weekend when we’re all at home, and it’s a lovely tradition. I encourage you to do the same with some of these recipes!

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“May 1959”

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Sunk Apple Cake

Versunkener Apfelkuchen A very traditional German apple cake, as seen by the scan from the Dr. Oetker book! This recipe, written down in my grandmother’s book, originally comes from my great grandmother on my grandfather’s side. On the note opposite - from 1959 - it appears my great grandmother on my grandmother’s side has written how she would alter the batter from her apple cake recipe for a plum tray cake - creating a bit of a thicker dough by adding more flour. Of course, living in a country where we can grow apples and where they used to be stored throughout the winter, everyone has a few of their own apple cake recipes!

750g apples - about 5 apples 200g vegan butter 200g sugar 4 soy flour eggs 350g flour 4 tsp baking powder 10-11 tbsp soy or oat milk Vegan butter and flour to grease the cake pan

In a large bowl, mix room-temperature butter with sugar until creamy. Add the flour, baking powder and soy flour egg and mix well. Finally add the plant milk making sure the batter isn’t too thick.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a round cake pan and dust with flour.

Peel and cut the apples into quarters, removing the cores. Cut into the outer side (bulge) of each quarter apple a couple times lengthwise, creating a fan look.

Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Add the apple pieces with the fan side facing up and lightly press these into the batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Allow the cake cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix 2-3 tablespoons of apricot jam with a little bit of rum or water and pour over the cake to create a nice glaze. Allow to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

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72

Plum Cake

Zwetschgenkuchen Around plum season we love to make compote, jams and all kinds of cakes with them! The slight sour taste of plums is absolutely delicious in a sweet pastry. This is a very simple but delicious round plum cake that tastes particularly good served with some whipped vegan cream!

1 1/2 kg plums 300g flour 200g vegan butter 100g sugar 1 soy flour egg • 2 tbsp pearl sugar/ decorating sugar

Weigh out the flour in a large bowl and mix with the sugar. Break up the vegan butter and add this and the soy flour egg. With cold hands, quickly knead all the ingredients into a smooth pastry. Wrap the dough in aluminium foil or parchment paper and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Wash, the plums, remove the seeds and cut in half once more, making sure that they are still connected at the bottom. Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Roll out your dough on a floured surface and line the bottom and edge of a greased 24-26cm diameter cake tin with it. Prick the pastry base several times using a fork and cover with the plums evenly in a rosette shape. Sprinkle the pearl sugar over the top.

Bake the cake for 20-30 minutes.

Let cool on a rack before serving.

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Proverb: As the breeding, so the fruit

Similar to ‘as you sow, so you shall reap.’ It is typically used in the context of child-rearing, meaning how you raise and discipline your child will determine who they become.

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Redcurrant cake Johannisbeerkuchen

This is a definite favourite cake of mine as I love sour fruits and berries. I have a fond memory of helping my grandmother make this cake when I was younger.

I picked redcurrants from the garden in a blue sieve, brought these to her and watched the process of her making the cake! The sugary mixture that you fill the pastry with beautifully balances out the redcurrants while the almonds add a nice extra flavour. Make sure to use very finely ground almonds for this one.

200g flour 100g butter 5 tbsp sugar 1 soy flour egg 500g red currants 3 soy flour eggs 100g sugar 125g peeled ground almonds 3 tbsp aquafaba • Powdered sugar for dusting

In a bowl, mix the flour, butter, sugar and soy flour egg into a smooth dough. Form a ball and cover in aluminium foil or parchment paper. Leave in the fridge for 2 hours.

Pluck the red currants from the stems and rinse under water in a sieve.

Beat the soy flour eggs with half of the sugar until creamy. Add the ground almonds.

Beat the aquafaba with the rest of the sugar for around 5-10 minutes until stiff. Fold this into the soy flour- sugar mix. Carefully fold in the red currants.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Grease a cake tin 26 cm in diameter.

Roll out the dough from the fridge on a floured surface and line the bottom and sides of the cake tin with it. Pierce the pastry a couple times with a fork, then pour in the red currant filling and spread out until smooth. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Allow the cake to cool on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

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76

Strawberry rhubarb squares with ginger streusel Erdbeer Rhabarber Streifen mit Ingwer Streusel Streusel cakes are very typical for Germany and come in all kinds of variations; with various fruits or without any fruit at all. The ginger Streusel on this cake are something a little different, adding a bit of a spicy kick to the sweetness. This tray cake has been a summer favourite in our family for many years now and is always received well by guests! We make this during the rhubarb season using rhubarb from our own garden, which makes it particularly delicious!

800g flour A pinch of salt 42g yeast 1 tbsp + 275g sugar 250g vegan butter 250ml milk (oat or soy) 1 tbsp soy flour + 2 tbsp water 40g candied ginger 1 sachet (8g) vanilla sugar 600g rhubarb 700g strawberries 40g coconut flakes Vegan butter and flour to grease the pan

Weigh out 550 g of flour and mix with salt in a large bowl. Mix yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar until the yeast becomes liquid. Add the yeast mix and 75g of sugar to the flour.

Melt 75g of butter in a pot, add and warm up the milk. Mix the soy flour with water. Add the butter milk mix and the soy egg to the flour. Mix until you have a smooth dough. Cover and let sit to rise for 45 minutes.

To make the Streusel chop up the candied ginger into small cubes and mix with 175g of butter with 250g flour, 200g sugar and vanilla sugar. The resulting Streusel dough should be crumbly.

-continued-

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“Streusel for cake”

Knead the yeast dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and springy. Roll out the dough on a greased and floured baking tray. Cover and leave to rise for another 20 minutes.

Wash the rhubarb and cut into small pieces. Wash the strawberries and cut into halves. Sprinkle the dough with coconut flakes, then distribute the rhubarb and strawberry pieces evenly on top.

Cover evenly with the streusel.

Bake at 200ºC in a preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool and cut into squares.

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80

Bundt Cake

Guglhupf/Topfkuchen Part of my love for Guglhupf simply stems from it’s fun name. The first part is pronounced like ‘google’ and the ‘u’ is spoken like in the word ‘push.’

Guglhupf has been dated back to medieval and even Roman times! Traditionally it was made with a yeast dough, but my grandmother’s recipe uses a different batter. Because of the special bundt form in which it is baked, Guglhupf will always look great, however it is deceivingly simple to whip up and doesn’t require any special ingredients. In my family, Guglhupf is typically made every Easter, but of course it doesn’t have to be reserved for just this occasion! It would be great for an afternoon tea or coffee any day of the year!

250g vegan butter 300g sugar 500g flour 1 sachet baking powder (18g) 1 sachet vanilla sugar Zest of one lemon 150ml soy or oat milk 3 soy flour eggs 150ml aquafaba 1 tsp baking powder A pinch of salt •

Mix the vegan butter and sugar until creamy. Add the soy eggs, lemon zest and plant milk.

Mix the dry ingredients and add to the bowl with wet ingredients. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Using an electric hand mixer beat the aquafaba with 1 tsp of baking powder until stiff. Fold the aquafaba into the batter.

Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan, making sure it is smooth. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown.

Once cooled, turn out of the pan and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Powdered sugar for dusting

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Proverb: One must celebrate the festivities as they come/fall.

This proverb suggests that we should celebrate whenever a reason for celebration presents itself, whether that be a birthday, Easter or Christmas! So make sure to bake one of these cakes for the next celebration in your life!

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85

Braided Yeast Bun Hefezopf

Yet another yeast recipe! Germans really love their yeast dough - and I can understand why! It tastes delicious and, though time consuming is fun and satisfying to make. Yeast buns are very typical for Easter time and are widely available in German bakeries throughout spring. My family always bakes one for Easter Sunday brunch and afternoon coffee.

The bun tastes great sliced up with a vegan butter, vegan cream cheese or jam spread.

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500g flour 250ml soy or oat milk 20g yeast 60g sugar 75 g vegan butter A pinch of salt 80g sultanas 50g candied lemon peel (Zitronat) • 4 tbsp soy or oat milk 1 tbsp agave syrup Pearl or decorating sugar and sliced almonds to top

Heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the flour to a large bowl and create a hollow. Sprinkle the yeast into the hollow, add the sugar and milk on top. Stir gently, cover and leave to sit.

Melt the vegan butter and let cool slightly.

Once cooled, add the butter as well as the salt, sultanas and candied lemon peel as desired to the bowl and combine. On a floured surface, beat and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until smooth and springy. Cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rise for an hour in a draft-free warm spot.

After an hour, the dough should have about doubled in size. Next, divide it into three equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a long strand.

Take the three strands and lay them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Start to braid the strands, pressing the top ends together first. Start with the outer right strand and place it over the middle one.

Then take the outer left strand and place it over the current middle roll. Continue until you have a fully braided loaf. Press together well at the end. Cover and leave to rise for another 30 minutes in a draft free warm spot. Preheat the oven to 180ºC Mix the plant based milk and agave syrup and brush the braided loaf. Then sprinkle with pearl sugar and sliced almonds.

Bake for around 30 minutes until golden brown. If it is browning too quickly, lay a piece of aluminium foil over it and continue baking. Allow to cool on a rack before serving.

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Nut Cake Nusskuchen

This recipe from my grandmother is a decadent and particularly delicious nut loaf due to the added melted chocolate. I’ve made it with a mix of hazelnuts and almonds but you can use any nut or mix of your choice. Walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds will all work well. This is a great simple loaf to make for afternoon tea or coffee.

200g vegan butter 250g sugar 200g flour 150g peeled and ground hazelnuts or other nuts 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon A pinch of salt 100g dark chocolate 5 tbsp soy flour 10 tbsp sparkling water • Powdered sugar for dusting

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In a large bowl, combine the sugar and roomtemperature butter and mix until creamy. Add the flour, ground nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate. In a small bowl or cup mix the soy flour and sparkling water. Preheat the oven to 175ºC. Once the chocolate has melted, let it cool slightly, then add to the batter and mix well. Finally add the soy flour mix and stir gently until combined.

Fill the batter into a greased loaf tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Leave to cool on a rack before dusting with powdered sugar.

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“Very good nut cake”

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Saying: a deaf nut.

A derogatory expression used to call someone dumb or slow, though we really only use it in a jokey way!

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Desserts

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Though this chapter doesn’t contain a lot of recipes, they should soon become favourites!

While some of the recipes form previous chapters may also be served as dessert, the recipes on the next few pages are extra special and sure to impress guests! Whether you need a dessert for a dinner party, a holiday or just for yourself, look no further than these fruity or chocolatey treats.

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Proverb: The best thing or part comes last.

Nothing more to say here, allow these dessert recipes to convince you of this suggestion!

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Red Berry Pudding Rote Grütze

Rote Grütze is a delicious sweet and sour pudding made of all kinds of red berries. Best of all it’s always been vegan! You can create your own blend of berries to match your taste and add sugar according to how sour they are. We tend to use frozen berries as this works well and is much cheaper! Typically Rote Grütze is served with vanilla sauce, which is a perfect sweet contrast to the tangy pudding. You can find the vanilla sauce recipe on p.121.

Serves 8-10 900g frozen berries e.g. strawberries, blackberries, red currants, black currants or raspberries 60-80g cornstarch 250ml water or juice e.g. black currant 100-200g sugar

Allow the berries to defrost in a pot. Once they have lost a lot of liquid put on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Mix the cornstarch with 250ml of water or juice and add to the berries while stirring.

Allow to boil for a few more minutes. Add sugar to taste.

Fill into a glass bowl or smaller serving bowls and allow to cool. Serve with vanilla sauce.

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96

Baked Apples with Jam Bratäpfel

This comforting, warm dessert is great for cold autumn or winter evenings. Best of all, you only need a few ingredients and it’s very simple to make!

Baking the apples brings out a lot of sweetness and makes them nice and soft. My grandmother’s recipe uses redcurrant jelly but any red jams will work great.

The optional raisins and flaked almonds will also make this dessert more special.

Serves 4 (allow one apple per person) 4 apples Jam of choice Raisins, flaked almonds (optional) • Vegan vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce (p.121) (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Thoroughly wash the apples and remove the cores.

Fill the cores with jam and raisins if using. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top if using.

Place the apples on a baking sheet with foil or in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve straight from the oven as is or with vegan vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce.

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98

Chocolate Mousse Schokoladenmousse

Ever since I was little, my grandmother would make chocolate mousse for dessert on Christmas eve, and it would be served in little golden mocha cups!

After her death, we have continued the tradition. In the past years we’ve tried several vegan versions and this is the best one! If you want it even sweeter and are able to find vegan milk chocolate you can replace 100g of dark chocolate with this. Personally, I love the strong and rich dark chocolate taste!

Serves 8-10 300g dark chocolate 240ml aquafaba 1 tbsp baking powder 250ml (whippable) vegan cream A pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Using an electric hand-mixer beat the beat the aquafaba and baking powder for about 10 minutes until stiff. In a separate bowl beat the vegan cream until stiff. Gently combine the whipped cream and aquafaba.

Quickly add the melted chocolate and fold in.

Pour into a bowl or serving cups and place in the refrigerator - preferably overnight.

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Saying: Chocolate side

One’s ‘chocolate side’ refers to one’s best side, whether that be physically or in terms of character and behaviour. For example, if there’s a camera around you might want to face your ‘chocolate side’ towards it.

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101

Christmas 102

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If I know one thing, it is that Germans do Christmas right! Many of the passed down recipes in my family are Christmas recipes and are made every single year without fail. I felt they definitely deserved a chapter of their own! Christmas has always been a wonderful, special time when we all come together and shield ourselves from the cold outside by making delicious, warming food.

Especially baking Plätzchen together, has always been an important part of Christmas time. I hop you enjoy these recipes full of delicious nuts, dried fruits, cinnamon and of course lots of sugar!

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104

Sweet Yeast Bread Stollen

Makes one large Stollen 100 grams of almond sticks 300 grams sultanas

Stollen is a very traditional German Christmas bread that has been around since the 14th Century! This recipe is my great grandmother’s own and has been passed down through my grandmother and mother.

There is no Christmas without Stollen! Importantly, we keep the Stollen stored away until Christmas eve - the 24th of December when we are ‘allowed’ to eat it. After that, the Stollen will keep for weeks if covered well and stored in a cool place, but it usually doesn’t last that long!

1-2 cups rum 500g flour 100g yeast 1 tbsp sugar 125ml soy or oat milk (warm) 3 soy flour eggs 125g sugar 250g vegan butter 200g candied lemon peel (Zitronat) 4 drops bitter almond oil Zest from 1 lemon 1 vanilla pod A pinch of salt Mace • 125g butter (melted) Powdered sugar

The night before, mix the almond sticks and sultanas with 1-2 cups of rum, cover and let sit overnight Create a Dampferl by weighing out the flour in a bowl and creating a hollow in the flour. Sprinkle the yeast into the hollow, then the sugar and finally pour the warm milk in. Cover with a tea towel and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot for around 15 minutes.

Mix the soaked almond sticks and sultanas and all remaining ingredients apart from the extra butter and powdered sugar into the dough. Cover again and leave to rise in a draft-free warm spot for 1 hour - by this time it should have doubled in size.

Punch down and knead the dough until it is smooth and springy - this can take a good 10 minutes. Then form the dough into an oval shape, cover and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 180ºC for around 1 hour. After about half of the baking time, open the oven and brush the Stollen with melted vegan butter and dust with powdered sugar. Put it back in the oven and about 15-20 minutes later, repeat the process once more.

Once cooled, dust with more powdered sugar, wrap up in foil and keep until Christmas!

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Proverb: Good things take time.

The perfect proverb to have in mind when making a yeast dough... or waiting until you can finally take any of these Christmas breads or cookies out of the oven!

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“The yeast dough must rise”

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108

Apple Bread Apfelbrot

Apfelbrot is another sweet bread we make every Christmas. This recipe is a variation of the very traditional Früchtebrot - fruit bread - which contains a variety of nuts and dried fruits. The addition of grated apples in this recipe makes the bread deliciously juicy and moist, and apples and cinnamon are of course, always a winning combination. Best of all, the recipe is very easy and quick to make! We often double the recipe to make two loafs that last us throughout the Christmas period. The bread is great as alongside afternoon tea or coffee or even toasted for breakfast!

Makes one loaf 750g apples 250g sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tbsp cocoa 1 clove 150g hazelnuts 150g raisins 150g figs or other dried fruit

Soak the figs or dried fruit overnight in 125ml rum.

Peel and grate the apples. Preheat the oven to 200ºC and grease a loaf tin.

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.

Pour the batter into the loaf tin. Bake for 90 minutes.

Allow to cool before removing from the tin. Store the apple bread in foil or an airtight container in a cool spot. Serve as is!

500g flour 1 sachet (18g) baking powder 125ml rum

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110

Christmas Punch Weihnachtspunsch

Christmas punch or mulled wine is very traditional for Christmas in Germany. Christmas markets at this time are full of stands offering various versions of mulled wine and kids punch in mugs. This recipe, which stems from my maternal great grandmother uses a special mix of spices available in Germany called Glühfix, which is similar to mulled wine spice.

If you aren’t able to find this, you can also make your own by combining cloves, cinnamon and orange peels. The half bottle of rum is optional but as my grandmother writes: ‘it just tastes good!’

2 bottles white wine 2 bottles red wine

Heat the rock sugar, mulled wine spice and 1L of water in a saucepan - do not boil.

1/2 bottle of rum

Squeeze the oranges and lemon.

Juice of one lemon Juice of 3 oranges 250g rock sugar 2 cloves

Add white and red wine and the juice of the oranges and lemon to the pot. Finally, add half a bottle of rum and serve!

Water 8g mulled wine spice or about 2 tsp

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Plätzchen

Plätzchen are German cookies reserved only for Christmas time. It is typical for families to make a variety of cookies and gift a bag of these to friends and family. This big collection of Plätzchen is then enjoyed throughout the whole Christmas period, starting on Christmas eve. The following recipes are my family’s best Christmas cookie recipes, which we make every year without fail!

112

Oat Cookies

Haferflockenplätzchen These cookies are a definite crowd pleaser. They’re pretty quick and easy to make and deliciously soft and sweet. Compared to other oat cookies you may have had or made, these should be quite a bit smaller and thicker.

Makes around 50 cookies 200g vegan butter 250g rolled oats 125g flour 2 tbsp baking powder 200g sugar 1 sachet (8g) vanilla sugar 1 soy flour egg

Melt the vegan butter and pour over the oats. Let them cool until they’re warm to touch, stirring every now and then.

Mix in the flour, baking powder, sugar and vanilla sugar. Add the soy egg and mix well. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Form small piles of the dough on a lined baking tray and press them together with your fingers. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Leave to cool on a rack - though they taste amazing while still warm!

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Linzer Tarte Cookies Linzer Törtchen

This recipe was passed down from my great grandmother and is a very traditional type of Plätzchen. The lingonberry jam adds a nice slightly sour note to the otherwise very sweet cookie. This recipe works great vegan and can even be made without the egg replacement if you don’t have soy flour on hand. The cookies will just spread apart a little more and be a little more crumbly.

Makes 30-40 cookies 140g vegan butter

Mix the vegan butter and sugar until frothy using an electric hand-mixer. Add the soy egg and flour and knead into a smooth dough.

210g flour

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

140g sugar

2 soy flour eggs Lingonberry jam A pinch of salt

Form a roll and cut it into even-sized pieces. Roll the pieces into equal balls and place them on a lined baking tray.

Use the end of a wooden spoon to create recesses by lightly pressing into each dough ball. Fill the recesses with lingonberry jam using a teaspoon.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden.

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“Christmas and tea biscuits”

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Children’s Song: Inside the Christmas Bakery...

This song, released by Rolf Zuckowsi in 1987 very quickly became a sort of national anthem for Christmas. It describes the act of baking Plätzchen at home, something mothers often do together with their children before Christmas.

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Vanilla Crescent Cookies Vanillekipferln

Vanillekipferln are my absolute favourite Plätzchen!

They are a must-try whilst fresh out of the oven and still warm. Vanillekipferln are very typical Christmas cookies, and we tend to get variations from friends and family every year. These, in my humble opinion are of course by far the best! If you can’t find vanilla sugar, you can also make your own with some regular sugar and a vanilla pod.

Makes around 50 cookies 280g flour 70g sugar 100g peeled ground almonds 210g vegan butter • 2 tbsp sugar 1 sachet (8g) vanilla sugar

Mix the flour with the sugar, the almonds and the finely diced vegan butter and work into a smooth dough. Wrap in foil and store in the fridge for 2 hours.

Take walnut-sized pieces of dough and form first rolls, then crescent shapes between the palms of the hands. Place the crescent shapes on a lined baking tray.

Bake on the middle rail in an oven preheated to 180ºC for 15-20 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar with vanilla sugar.

Once the cookies come out of the oven roll them in the sugar mixture and leave to cool on a rack.

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Walnut Cookies Walnussplätzchen

These walnut cookies are one of my mom’s finds and have been a must-bake recipe for a couple of years now. Everyone who tries them loves them. They are beautifully soft and chewy, and the unique walnut taste makes them extra special! Of course, just like any good Plätzchen they are covered in sugar too!

Makes 30-40 cookies 400g walnuts 125g soft vegan butter 100g brown sugar 1 vanilla pod 150g whole wheat flour 2 pinches of salt 2 soy eggs • 50g brown sugar for rolling

Grind 150g of the walnuts.

Beat the butter, sugar and the scraped out vanilla pulp with a hand-mixer until creamy. Mix in the ground walnuts, flour, salt and soy eggs.

Roll the dough into cherry-sized balls with your hands and toss in the brown sugar. Place the dough balls on a lined baking tray and press half a walnut into each.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175ºC for about 12 minutes.

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Sauces & Preserves 120

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These sauces and preserves are the perfect addition to many of the previous recipes! They simply make every dish a little bit better. Apple sauce especially is a huge staple in German households and hard to find in the UK. It’s definitely worth making and storing a couple glasses of your own!

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Sauce Hollandaise Holländische Soße

Serves 4 4 tbsp vegan butter 2 tbsp flour 100 ml vegetable broth, 100 ml vegan cream (soya) 1 tbsp mustard 1 tbsp vegan white wine 1 tsp lemon juice Salt White pepper 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

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Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour, making sure there are no clumps.

Pour in the vegetable stock and keep whisking. Bring it to a boil briefly, then reduce the heat. Add soy cream, white wine, mustard and lemon juice.

Let the sauce simmer for approx. 5 - 10 minutes until it is thick and creamy. Season to taste with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

Vanilla Sauce Vanillesoße

1 vanilla pod 125ml plant milk (soy or oat) + 3tbsp 125ml vegan cream 2 tbsp cornflour 1 tbsp sugar 1 soy egg

Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the pulp.

Mix the cornflour with 3 tbsp of plant milk and add the soy egg.

In a double boiler, heat up the plant milk, vegan cream, sugar and vanilla. Add the cornflour-egg mix while stirring constantly and bring to a boil.

Allow to cool. If not using immediately, cover with foil to avoid a skin forming.

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Compote Kompott

Fruit of choice: e.g. plum, apple, rhubarb etc.

Chop up your desired fruit into small pieces, remove any cores or seeds.

Sugar

Add to a pot with a couple tbsp of water. Leave to simmer until the fruit is soft and mushy.

Lemon juice (optional)

Add sugar and lemon juice to taste - this will depend on how sweet or sour the fruit is.

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Apple Sauce Apfelmus

750g apples 40-80g sugar 250ml water Some butter, cinnamon, lemon zest, 1/2 glass of wine (optional)

Wash apples and cut into quarters. Cut away the core. Add the apples to a pot along with the water and place on medium heat.

Add all the remaining ingredients if using, and cook with a lid on until the apples are completely soft and mushy. Blend with an electric hand mixer until smooth, and add sugar to taste. ** If you want to fill the apple sauce into jars, sterilise these first by putting them in the oven at 100ºC for an hour. Then immediately fill with the hot apple sauce and close the lid tightly.

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Index Plum Cake

71

39 47 51 69 63 95 107 123

Red Berry Pudding

93

Redcurrant Cake

73

Rice Pudding

56

Sauce Hollandaise

120

Asparagus with Potatoes

20

Strawberry Rhubarb Squares

Bundt Cake

79

Vanilla

Apple Apple Celery Salad Apple Strudel Apple Fritters Sunk Apple Cake Green Spelt Apple Casserole Baked Apples with Jam Apple Bread Apple Sauce

Semolina Semolina Dumpling Soup Semolina Pudding

Cabbage Sour White Cabbage Red Cabbage

Vanilla Crescent Cookies Vanilla Sauce

32 30

Walnut Cookies

Cucumber Salad

43

Yeast

Cherry Bread Pudding

59

Chocolate Mousse

97

Christmas Bread Christmas Punch

109

Compote

122

Creamy German Turnip

33

Elderflower Fritters

53

Lentil Pumpkin Veg

27

Linzer Tarte Cookies

112

Mushrooms with Bread Dumplings

23

Nut Cake

86

Oat Cookies

111

Pasta Egg Pasta Pasta Salad

35 40

Potato Salad Potato Pancakes

36 28

Potatoes

126

Sweet Yeast Dumplings Yeast Pancakes Braided Yeast Bun Sweet Yeast Bread

19 55 75 116 121 117 61 64 84 103

127