4 More Homecomings From "German Meals At Oma's" (Granny's) 🌞

Last edited Mon Nov 10, 2025, 11:20 AM - Edit history (1)

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 Granny's Note)

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.



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Schmandschnitzel (schnitzel with cream sauce)

There are so many variations to the simple schnitzel
throughout Germany, with all kinds of wonderful sauces
and seasonings. In Hessen, it’s often served with schmand, a
type of sour cream, flavored with fresh herbs, bacon, onions
and leeks. It tastes as delightful as it sounds. Since schmand
is rarely available outside of Germany, a good substitute for
this recipe is full-fat sour cream.

Serves 4

CREAM SAUCE

1 tbsp (15 g) butter
3 oz (85 g) lean bacon, finely diced
½ cup (75 g) finely diced onions
1 large leek, white part only, sliced into thin rings
2 tbsp (5 g) finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp (5 g) finely chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp (5 g) finely chopped fresh dill
½ tsp mild German mustard
1¾ cups (400 g) full-fat sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed

SCHNITZEL

¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp paprika
2 large eggs
2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
1½ cups (180 g) breadcrumbs
4 (5½-oz [155-g]) veal or pork schnitzel
4 tbsp (60 g) clarified butter or 4 tbsp (60 ml) neutral oil
2 tbsp (30 g) butter, divided
1 medium lemon, sliced, for garnish

To make the cream sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan
over medium heat. Add the bacon and onions and cook, stirring
occasionally, until the bacon fat is rendered and the onions are
translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the leek and fry 2 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the parsley, chives
and dill. Remove 2 tablespoons (23 g) of the mixture and set it
aside. Add the mustard and sour cream to the saucepan. Stir and
season with salt and pepper. Cover the saucepan and set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 160°F (71°C). Line a large baking sheet with
parchment paper. Place several paper towels on a large plate. Have
another large plate available. Set these aside.

To make the schnitzel, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and
paprika in a shallow bowl. Mix together the eggs and milk in a
second shallow bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.

Dredge 1 schnitzel in the flour, then in the eggs and then in the
breadcrumbs. Place the schnitzel on the large unlined plate and
repeat this process with the rest of the meat.
Melt the clarified butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter and when it has melted, add 1
or 2 schnitzel, making sure you do not crowd them. Cook until the
schnitzel are golden brown on both sides, each side cooking for 3 to
4 minutes. Remove the schnitzel from the skillet and place them
briefly on the plate lined with the paper towels and then on the
prepared baking sheet in the oven. Cook the remaining schnitzel,
adding the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 g) of butter.

Serve the schnitzel with the cooled cream sauce poured partially
over the meat. Sprinkle the reserved bacon mixture over the top of
the sauce and place a lemon slice on the side.Oma’s Ecke
Traditionally, schnitzels are to be swimming in the fat, but
not deep-fried. There’s a trick to getting the batter puffy on
the schnitzel and that’s to scoop some of the fat onto the
sides and top of the schnitzel as it’s frying. Not to submerge
it, just to splash it on a bit. It’s a technique worth trying.
leaf. Roll the leaf up tightly, tucking in the sides, and fasten it with
a skewer or wrap it with kitchen twine.



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Schweinepfeffer (Marinated Spiced Pork)

The translation for this is “peppered pork.” Yet looking at
the ingredient list, you’ll find a normal amount of pepper.
Historically, when a recipe was called “peppered,” it meant
it was well spiced. That’s what this Schweinepfeffer is.
There are two basic recipes for this: One omits the
marinating stage; the other includes it. Me? I include it
because it adds more flavor! All it requires is starting the
meat a day or two before you want to serve it.

Serves 4

You’ll notice that this is almost like goulash, so similar side
dishes work: potato dumplings (Schneebällchen—Potato
Dumplings from Cooked Potatoes) and red cabbage (Apfel
Rotkohl—Red Cabbage with Apples). Since this is pork,
adding a bowl of applesauce will round out the meal.

2 lb (908 g) pork shoulder roast
3 cups (750 ml) red wine
2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
4 black peppercorns 4 tbsp (60 g) butter
1 large onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried marjoram
2 tbsp (19 g) cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp (30 ml) cold water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed

Trim the pork of excess fat. Cut the roast into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices.
Put them into a resealable freezer bag. You can also use a glass or
ceramic bowl that is just big enough for the meat and marinade.

Add the red wine, vinegar, chopped onion, bay leaves and
peppercorns. Seal the bag. If you are using a bowl, cover it with
plastic wrap. Place the meat in the fridge for 8 to 48 hours, turning
the meat several times during that time.

Remove the meat from the marinade. Dry it well with paper towels
and cut the slices into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes. Strain the marinade
through a sieve and set it aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the
pork cubes in batches and brown them on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer the meat to a large bowl and add the sliced onion to the
saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes,
or until the onion is golden brown. Add the strained marinade,
stirring to loosen up any browned bits at the bottom of the
saucepan. Return the meat to the saucepan, adding the garlic and
marjoram. Reduce the heat to medium-low, bring the mixture to a
simmer, cover the saucepan and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, until the
pork is tender.

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

Oma’s Ecke

You may wonder why I slice the meat before I marinate it. It
could be done in one piece, but it would need to marinate
longer. Sliced, it goes quicker. However, if it were already
cut into cubes and then marinated, it would certainly go
even faster. But you’d have to pick through the cubes to pull
out the spices and the bits of onion before you brown them.
Not much fun.


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Saarlandische Mehlknepp
(Flour dumplings With Cream Sauce)


What does an oma do when the cupboards are almost bare?
She makes mehlknepp if she lives in Saarland. With the
barest of ingredients, she prepares the geschiedene
(divorced) version if the dumplings are served alone, but
when mixed with potatoes, they are the verheiratete
(married) version. Covered with a bacon cream sauce, this
dumpling and potato mixture becomes comfort food that’s
easy and quick to prepare.

Serves 4

1½ lbs (680 g) peeled Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
lengthwise
3 tsp (15 g) salt, divided, plus more as needed
1 tbsp (15 g) clarified butter or 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil
½ lb (227 g) lean slab bacon, diced
¾ cup (175 ml) heavy cream
¾ cup (175 ml) milk
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
3⅔ cups (450 g) all-purpose flour (see Oma’s Ecke)
4 large eggs
1 cup (250 ml) water, plus more as needed
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover them with water, add
1 teaspoon of the salt and bring the potatoes to a boil over high
heat. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low and
simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain them
when they are done, cover the saucepan with a clean tea towel to
absorb the steam and cover the towel with the saucepan’s lid to
keep the potatoes warm.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
Add the bacon and fry until the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the cream and milk, stir and bring the mixture to a simmer
for about 2 minutes, until it is slightly thickened. Season the sauce
with additional salt (if needed) and pepper. Cover the skillet and set
it aside to keep the sauce warm.

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer over high heat and add 1
teaspoon of the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a
gentle simmer.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, eggs, the 1 cup (250 ml) of
water, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and nutmeg. Mix the
ingredients well into a thick yet fluid dough. Add more water, if
needed. Using a spoon dipped in water, drop spoonfuls of the dough
into the simmering water, dipping the spoon in water again before
making each dumpling. Simmer the dumplings for 5 to 8 minutes
after they rise to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put
them in a large serving dish.

Add the cooked potatoes to the dumplings. Pour the sauce over the
dumplings and potatoes. Serve with a salad or a bowl of homemade
applesauce on the side.

Oma’s Ecke

Since the moisture content of flour changes with the
seasons, getting the dough to the right consistency is a
learned skill. Practice, and you’ll soon be able to throw
together this quick and easy dish. You may even want to
add some onions to the bacon as you fry it and let them
caramelize. They make for a really nice addition.

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



So tasty these'll stick to your ribs, and warm your heart!