The German Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Regional Favorites
When I received this book in the mail, I had expectations of thick sausages, stand-up stews, and other Eastern European fare that would threaten to put hair on my chest. I'm a huge fan of German cold-weather fare -- the fattier, the better. But while there's lots of hearty classics in The German Kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to find many of the dishes built from the lighter, healthier side of the pantry. Smoked Salmon with Warm Potato Salad, Curried Sweet Potato Soup with Pumpkin and Coriander, Spiced Yogurt Relish all caught my eye for those nights when I can't invest in a 24-hours schnitzel digestion-fest.Other dishes, though, tickled my comfort-food bone: Beef Pot Roast Braised in Dark Lager Beer, Grandma's Veal Stroganoff, and Braised Sausage with Lentils. These are the dishes that I was thinking of when I got the book in the first place, the kind of stout recipes that cling to you like a bear hug and linger for hours in the form of a lusciously indulgent food coma. In other words, perfect winter food.Perhaps the best thing about this book is its concise direction. 99 percent of the recipes in The German Kitchen are incredibly simple, with the instructions requiring five or fewer very short steps. Even the afore-mentioned pot roast only has two steps, which consist of throwing everything in a pot and cooking. Now that's my kind of comfort food. Between the delicious ease of the recipes and the even balance of hearty and healthy dishes, this is a book that anyone with a penchant for European eats will appreciate. --Stephanie J. Stiavetti Huffington Post