3 Entrees And A Side From "German Meals At Oma's"🌞

[justaprogressive]

Last edited Thu Dec 18, 2025, 11:03 AM - Edit history (1)

KUKENRAGOUT
(Chick Ragout)

Yes, that’s right. It’s not chicken ragout, but chick ragout!
Various tales abound about the origin of this dish—
supposedly it contained not just little chicks, but calf’s
tongue and sweetbreads, crayɹsh and crabs, to mention just
a few. Thankfully, nowadays, the ingredient list has become
a whole lot tamer.

Serves 4

1 lb (454 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups (500 ml) chicken broth
½ lb (227 g) fresh green or white asparagus
3 tbsp (45 g) butter, divided
⅓ lb (150 g) small button mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
2 cups (300 g) frozen green peas, thawed
½ lb (227 g) small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp (3 g) finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Put the chicken breasts and the chicken broth into a medium
saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low,
cover the saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken
is tender. The internal temperature should be 165°F (74°C). Remove
the chicken from the saucepan and set it aside until it is cool enough
to handle. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Cover the saucepan so
that the remaining broth will remain hot.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the asparagus. If you are
using green, just snap oʃ the tough bottom portion of the stalk. If
you are using white, peel it and cut of the tough bottom portion of
the stalk. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add
the asparagus. Cook the green asparagus for 5 to 10 minutes and
the white asparagus for 10 to 15 minutes. Take the asparagus out
of the pot, shock it in a bowl of cold water, drain it and cut it into
bite-size pieces.

Measure the remaining chicken broth from cooking the chicken.
Add some asparagus cooking water, if needed, in order to have 2
cups (500 ml) of liquid.

Melt 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter in a large skillet over medium
heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they are lightly browned,
5 to 8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set
them aside. Make a roux by melting the remaining 2 tablespoons
(30 g) of the butter in the skillet. Whisk in the flour until the roux is
smooth, about 1 minute, but do not let it brown. Whisk in the 2
cups (500 ml) of hot chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil,
reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Season the simmering sauce with the lemon juice and salt and
pepper. Add the chicken, mushrooms, peas and shrimp. Stir and
simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned pink.
Add the asparagus pieces and let them reheat in the sauce.
Serve the Kükenragout over rice and garnished with the parsley.

Oma’s Ecke

The use of chicks in this may just be a word thing. It’s now
thought that küken actually refers to month-old chicks that
are less than 1 pound (454 g) in weight, not newly hatched
ones. These were also called stubenküken, which translates
as “room chicks” since, in years past, these chicks were
often kept in the house to protect them from the cold.


********************************************************************


KOHLROULADEN or KRAUTWICKEL
(Cabbage Rolls)

My mutti made the best cabbage rolls! They were the best
because they had no rice and no tomato sauce. Just a
wonderful, flavorful meat filling, nestled in browned
cabbage and served with a delicious brown gravy.
Additional seasonings can be added to the meat mixture,
such as nutmeg, MAGGI® Liquid Seasoning, caraway seeds,
paprika or thyme, making these cabbage rolls a versatile
dish. Personally, I love adding Montreal steak seasoning, a
totally non-German addition, but so good. It’s pure comfort
food, oma-style, especially when served with mashed
potatoes.

Serves 4

1 (2-lb [908-g]) green or savoy cabbage
4 tsp (20 g) salt, divided, plus more as needed
4 tbsp (60 g) clarified butter or 4 tbsp (60 ml) neutral oil,
divided
1 cup (150 g) diced onions
1 stale kaiser roll, sliced
¾ cup (175 ml) warm milk
¾ lb (340 g) lean ground beef
¾ lb (340 g) ground pork
2 large eggs
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
2 cups (500 ml) beef broth
2 tbsp (19 g) cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp (30 ml) cold water

Set some wooden skewers or kitchen twine near your workspace for
easy access.

To check the size of the pot needed, put the cabbage in a large pot
and fill it with water so that the cabbage will be submerged.
Remove the cabbage and add 3 teaspoons (15 g) of the salt to the
water and bring to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with cold
water and set it aside. Prepare the cabbage by removing any damaged
outer leaves. Cut out the bottom core so that the leaves will loosen
once they are boiled.

Lower the cabbage carefully into the boiling water, with the
bottom facing upward. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, gently removing
the leaves with tongs as they loosen from the core and placing them
in the cold water to stop the cooking. Continue removing leaves
until you have 8 large leaves. If they break or if the leaves are too
small, remove extra leaves that you will layer together to create a
larger leaf. Remove the rest of the cabbage from the boiling water
and reserve it for another meal, such as cabbage soup.

Once the leaves are cold, remove them from the water. If any have
thick veins, trim them thinner so that they will be easier to roll. Lay
the leaves on a work surface and prepare the filling.

Melt 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter in a small skillet over medium
heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7
minutes, or until they are tender but not browned. Set the onions
aside to cool.

Place the kaiser roll in a small bowl. Pour the milk over it and let it
sit for 5 minutes. Drain the milk, squeeze the moisture from the roll,
crumble it and set aside.

Place the beef, pork, eggs, onions, crumbled roll, the remaining 1
teaspoon of salt and the pepper in a large bowl. Gently mix with
your hands. Divide the meat mixture into 8 portions and form each
into an oval meatball. Place a meatball on the bottom end of each
leaf. Roll the leaf up tightly, tucking in the sides, and fasten it with
a skewer or wrap it with kitchen twine.

Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 g) of the butter in a large
saucepan over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the cabbage
rolls on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set each batch of browned
cabbage rolls aside as you brown the others. Return all the cabbage
rolls to the saucepan and add the broth. Cover the saucepan and
simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Transfer the cabbage rolls to a
platter, removing the skewers or twine. Cover the platter to keep the
rolls warm while you make the gravy.

Stir just enough of the cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid to
thicken the gravy, which will take about 2 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper and serve the cabbage rolls with the gravy on the side.

Oma’s Ecke

Want an easier way to prep the cabbage? Freeze the whole
cabbage for a couple of days and thaw it in the fridge
(which will take at least a day). Now, remove the leaves and
use them. Not fast, but easy.


***************************************************************


HANCHEN CORDON BLEU
(Chicken Cordon Bleu)

Cordon bleu always sounded very extravagant, very
expensive, very French and very diffcult to make, until I
realized it was really nothing more than rouladen made with
chicken breast. In other words, hähnchen-rouladen! The
difficulty comes in butterflying the breasts and pounding
them thin enough without making holes, so the stuffing
won’t leak out. However, there is an easier way. Just cut a
pocket and stuff it: cordon bleu made in no time at all. Very
extravagant, not expensive, not difficult and very German!

Serves 4
4 (6-oz [170-g]) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
4 slices Emmental or Gruyère cheese
4 slices deli-style Black Forest ham
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
1 cup (120 g) seasoned breadcrumbs

Set some metal skewers near your workspace for easy access.

Prepare the chicken breasts by cutting them lengthwise
horizontally into the thickest part of the breasts to create
a pocket or flap. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper into the
pocket as well as on the outside.

Put a slice of cheese on a slice of ham and roll it up tightly.
Place it inside the chicken pocket. Use skewers to hold the
pocket closed. Repeat this process until all the breasts are
stuffed.

Set 3 shallow bowls on a work surface. Put the flour in one
bowl. In the next bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Put
the breadcrumbs in the third bowl. Place a large plate nearby.
Dredge the chicken by taking one stuffed breast and rolling it
first in the flour. Dip it in the egg mixture. Follow that by rolling
it in the bread crumbs. Place it on the plate and repeat this
process with the remaining chicken breasts, being careful that
they don’t touch each other on the plate. Place the plate in the
fridge for at least 20 minutes. This will help the breading stick
to the chicken. If you want to keep the breasts in the fridge for
up to 1 day, cover them with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a
large rimmed baking sheet. Place the chicken on the baking sheet.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the breasts reach an internal
temperature of a least 160°F (71°C). Remove the chicken from the
oven, take out the skewers and serve.

Oma’s Ecke

Rolling something around something else to make
something different—that’s what rouladen are. For hundreds
of years, omas in Germany have been making them from
meats, fish and even cabbage.

Cordon bleu means “blue ribbon” in French, signifying a
very high standard. At some point, these words were
attached to schnitzel in Switzerland when veal was wrapped
around cheese. Fast-forward to Germany, which already had
rouladen and turned the hähnchen-rouladen into Hähnchen
Cordon Bleu—that really does sound more exciting!


***********************************************************************


BACKERKARTOFFELN
(Scalloped Potatoes)

Called kartofelgratin elsewhere, these scalloped potatoes
can be made two ways. The first one is messy and not
always successful, and uses a flour-based sauce. The second
is easy and uses heavy cream. I like easy and I like cream.
Of course, the second way is German!

The preparation for this dish is easy, especially if you use a
mandoline slicer to cut the potatoes. Heat the cream, pour it
over the potatoes and pop them into the oven. Ratze fatze,
or as one says in English: easy breezy. That’s what makes
this an ideal dish for company, because now you have about
seventy-five minutes to do other things before the potatoes
make an appearance at the table.

Serves 4

3 tbsp (45 g) butter, divided
1½ cups (375 ml) heavy cream 1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2½ lbs (1.1 kg) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ⅛-
inch (3-mm) thick slices
1 cup (120 g) grated Emmental cheese (see Oma’s Ecke)

Preheat the oven to 360°F (182°C).

Grease an 8 x 8–inch (20 x 20–cm) baking dish with 1
tablespoon (15 g) of the butter.

Combine the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a small saucepan
over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, making sure it
does not boil over. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute.

Arrange the potato slices in the casserole dish. Pour the cream
mixture over the potatoes. Place the baking dish in the oven and
bake for 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with
the tip of a knife. Remove the potatoes from the oven.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Sprinkle the
cheese over the potatoes. Dot the remaining 2 tablespoons
(30 g) of the butter over the top. Return the baking dish to
the oven for 15 minutes, or until the top of the scalloped
potatoes is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Serve the potatoes hot.

Oma’s Ecke

If you’d like a bit more punch to this, fry 5 ounces (150 g) of
diced air-dried, streaky smoked bacon in a bit of butter.

Sprinkle that among the potato slices as you’re arranging
them in the baking dish.

Want even more punch? When you’re frying the bacon, also
fry up some sliced red onions and add them to the potatoes.

Still need more? Take a clove (or two or three) of garlic. Put
it through a garlic press and rub it around the greased
baking dish before you add the potatoes.

Emmental, the famous “Swiss Cheese” with all the holes,
has a nutty, sweet and fruity taste. Can’t find it? Then use
your favorite melty cheese.


All the above From "German Meals At Oma's"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41487174-german-meals-at-oma-s


Tasty...And SO FILLING!!