Whole Foods had their bratwurst on sale so we celebrated the last night of Oktoberfest with a recipe Pater Familia taught me. I have no name for the recipe, call it what you like. Something in German would be preferable.
some bratwurst
some sauerkraut, drained
some green apples, sliced
some German beer
Combine in a baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees until sausages are toasty and browned. I suggest waiting awhile to put the apples in or they turn to mush by the time the sausages are done. I also suggest stirring about halfway through and flipping the sausages so they brown on all sides. I like to pour off most of the beer about halfway through because I don't like the combo to be too watery, but that's to your taste. Serve with lots of mustard, beer, and some good bread.
I made a pumpkin challah loaf to serve with the sausages. It was a combination of my regular challah recipe from Joy of Cooking and a Martha Stewart recipe I found online. Martha suggests using this bread for stuffing or for sandwiches with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and I think that sounds divine. Tis the season for all things pumpkin. I have pumpkin chili on the brain. And butternut squash risotto. I will give you the bread recipe now.
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 teaspoon yeast sprinkled over 1/2 cup warm water (let stand 10 minutes)
3 eggs beaten with 2tbs. warm water
1tsp. salt
1tbs. oil (canola or olive)
2tbs. honey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 to 1tsp. ground cinnamon (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/4tsp. ground ginger
1/8tsp. allspice
4 and 1/2 cup flour (I use a combination of whole wheat and unbleached white)
*I also toss in a scoop of ground flax for good measure. That's up to you.
1 egg beaten with a little bit of water or milk to make an egg wash
Directions:
Add egg mixture to the yeast and water. Mix together for about a minute.
Combine pumpkin, salt, spices, oil, and honey. Stir to combine. Add to egg and yeast mixture.
Add flour, one cup at a time, until incorporated. Knead or mix in your mixer for 10 minutes. You may need to add more flour if it is too sticky. Add it a tablespoon at a time lest you get it too dry.
Coat a bowl with oil and let your dough ball rise. Keep it covered with a damp cloth or with plastic wrap. Punch it down, knead briefly. Let it rise again. Punch it down, knead briefly. Divide into three even sized balls. Let rest for about ten minutes. Roll balls into ropes. Oil a baking sheet. Place the ropes on the sheet. Press one end from each of the three ropes together. Braid and press the other ends together. Tuck them under the loaf a little bit. Brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash. Make sure the egg wash doesn't run down on to the baking sheet or your bread will stick. Let rise, uncovered, until not quite doubled in volume. Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes. It will be done if it sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom. This is a very soft bread so make dang sure the middle is cooked all the way. Better to err on the side of cooking it a little too long.
After much labor Pater Familia was able to get us hot water again. Then he could turn the gas back on which enabled us to have heat again. These are great improvements. Unpacking is going well. Some things will stay in boxes until we have the furniture to contain them. Higher priority than furniture right now is the kitchen. Obviously. Living with a makeshift kitchen in the dining room. I recently read an article in Touchstone magazine about impatience and the benefit of cultivating pleasures over immediate gratification. I am cultivating my pleasure in having a whole house. I am also taking the opportunity to work on the character issues in myself that have arisen as a consequence of the disorder of my home. Apparently order in the home has been a crutch for me. I need to find true peace in the Lord and not rely on my manufactured peace. This is hard. I am working on it. It's going to take a long time. Ask me again when I'm 80.
