Thinking outside the schnitzel

When you think of German food, sausages, schnitzel, and sauerkraut probably leap to mind. Husband-and-wife team Jeremy and Jessican Nolen, authors of New German Cooking, want to change that perception. Owners of Philadelphia restaurant Brauhaus Schmitz, the Nolens recently spoke with Lynn Rosetta Casper of The Splendid Table on how they are challenging the stereotypes of German cuisine.

When discussing the impetus behind the cookbook, Jeremy notes, “We were trying to show Americans that there’s a different side to German food, that it’s not all sausage, sauerkraut, schnitzel, and meat and potatoes. There are a lot more vegetables and lighter, cleaner flavors. I think our goal was to make people aware that there’s much more to German food.” Recipes from New German Cooking that highlight vegetables include a radish and orange salad, kohlrabi salad with a black radish and garlic dressing, and a roasted parsnip salad with wheat beer vinaigrette.

Traditional German ingredients like sauerkraut make appearances in the book, but are often used in unusual ways, like in a sauerkraut potato gratin. Says Nolen, “Potato gratin is such a warm, comforting dish. I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Sauerkraut, being such a German ingredient, made sense. We put it together and the results were really great. It has that little bit of acidity, it cut the fat and the cream, and it came out really nice.”

Photo of Roasted parsnip salad with hazelnuts, blue cheese, and wheat beer vinaigrette from Saveur Magazine by Jeremy Nolen and Jessica Nolen