Oktoberfest: Beer-Braised Vegetables

Tags

cabbage, carrots, celery, food, foodie, Oktoberfest, onion, potatoes, recipe, side dish, vegetables

I made these veggies to go with the Hänchen Schnitzel last night. The sun sets earlier, so I couldn’t get a very good pic for my daylight was gone! At least Oktoberfest helps ease the transition into longer nights and shorter days.

Oktoberfest: Beer-Braised Vegetables

Beer-Braised Vegetables Ingredients:

4 potatoes, 2 handfuls baby carrots, 4 celery stalks, 1 sweet white onion, 12 oz. to 24 oz. of beer (I use Franziskaner hefeweiss), fresh dill weed, fresh cracked-black pepper, fresh-ground sea salt

Beer-Braised Vegetables Directions:
Heat pan over medium heat. Cube, cut, slice veggies and put into hot pan. Stir constantly, as vegetables brown. Add in beer, dill, salt and pepper and stir. Cover and allow to simmer until vegetable are tender. Remove from heat and serve hot!

Any medley of vegetables could work for this dish, have fun with variations… I sometimes add cabbage and a golden apple.

*Drain juices and reserve to make a hefeweiss pan gravy.

Oktoberfest: Hänchen Schnitzel

Tags

chicken, dinner, food, foodie, German, main dish, Oktoberfest, recipe

Chicken Schnitzel vs. Chicken Cutlet

Of all the varieties of food I prepare, this is Hubster’s favorite chicken dish. He hasn’t quite understood how sometimes I call this cutlet, and sometimes I call it schnitzel. Maybe because the translation tells us they’re the exact same thing.

There are a few subtle differences in how I prepare and serve these dishes.  My schnitzel gets dipped in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, while the cutlet gets milk, flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Panko bread crumbs for the schnitzel, regular bread crumbs for the cutlet. The seasoning I add to the crumbs and flour are both differnt. I usually serve schnitzel with beer-braised vegetables & spätzle, and chicken cutlet with spaghetti & a green veggie. Portion-wise, schnitzel is usually larger and the cutlet smaller. Either may be finished with a pan sauce.

Hänchen Schnitzel, AKA: Chicken Cutlet

Schnitzel Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp. milk, 2 c. panko bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp. paprika, 1 tsp. lemon peel, 1 Tbsp. dill weed, 2 c. flour, olive oil, fresh-ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Schnitzel Directions:
Split chicken and pound until thin and rub with salt & pepper. In a bowl beat together eggs and milk. Mix paprika in with flour. Mix lemon peel and dill with the bread crumbs. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Coat chicken with flour, shake off excess. Dip chicken in egg wash and then into bread crumbs. Add chicken to hot oil, until browned and throughly cooked, flipping only once.

To getting in touch with my German side, I serve this with a hefeweiss pan-gravy, spargel, and spaetzel or kartoffelpuffer. I am lucky enough to live in a town that has an Oktoberfest, so I have a one track mind this weekend!
What is on your dinner plate?