In 1763, Russian Czarina Catherine the Great, a former German princess, encouraged Germans to relocate to Russia and promised farmland to those who made the journey. Between 1763 and 1871, around 100,000 Germans moved east. With them they brought their German language, culture, and agricultural knowledge, growing crops like rye. Fast forward to Kratzke near the Volga River and the year 1822. My Pop’s 3rd Great G-Pa was born. He was the first of the Bender family line of German speaking Russian born in this region. Today, this community, known as Podchinnyi, has about 145 residents (2010) and four major streets. It’s roughly halfway between the countries of Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
Around 1900, my Bender Family line began migrating to the United States through ports like New York City and Galveston, Texas. Where did they end up? Kansas and Montana. Why? Grain prices were dropping in Russia due to the competition from U.S. crops. Land was becoming a pricey commodity in this region of Russia also, but land was readily offered in Kansas and other Plains states. So why not move? The Kansas Historical Society has an interesting article about this migration.
What I know about German food as an American mutt is pretty stereotypical. I can’t be certain my lineage ate dishes like schweine schnitzel (fried pork cutlets), spaetzel (egg noodles), and rotkohl (sweet/sour red cabbage). But I do know my Great Aunt V. is a fabulous cook through this German-sided line. Her G-Ma, shown at the left, cooked simple, hearty food using ingredients like potatoes, cabbage, and pork. She was also a fervent bread maker! Like all Russian-German immigrants, my Bender family spoke German entirely at home in turn-of-the-20th Century Montana. So I’m going to make a stretch.
I’ll be honest. This flavorful German-inspired feast is NOT a quick and easy, last-minute meal. You’ll need to plan out cooking times and work in phases. Start with the Rotkohl (aka Sweet/Sour Red Cabbage). It’s a simple recipe to put together, but needs almost 2 hours to cook down. The Mushroom Gravy is relatively quick, only needing about 20-30 minutes to come together. It can simmer as you’re putting together the Spatzle.
Spaetzle, or “little sparrow” is a formed egg noodle using a basic flour-egg-salt and milk batter. To form it, force the batter through a colander using a rubber spatula and into salted, boiling water. I upgraded, and now use a spaetzle maker. These noodles cook quickly, in multiple batches, in about 10-15 minutes. Keep them warm with a little butter mixed into them.
Schweine schnitzel, or fried pork cutlets, is the most time intensive process. I cut a pork tenderloin into 1-1/2 to 2-inch medallions and pound them thin (about 1/2-inch). Each piggy piece is then rolled in a flour-salt-pepper mixture, dipped into beaten eggs, and rolled in panko bread crumbs before being fried in butter and vegetable oil.
When all of these pieces come together, it’s simply köstlich (delectable/luscious/delicious)! Viel Spaß (enjoy)!
PrintPork Schnitzel Smothered with Mushroom Gravy and Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage and Spätzle
This is German comfort food at it’s best! Crispy pork schnitzel smothered in creamy mushroom gravy. Tender spaetzle egg noodles, and slightly sweet and sour red cabbage hanging out on the side. The cooking time is definitely worth the wait!
- Prep Time: About 45 Minutes
- Cook Time: About 3 Hours
- Total Time: 31 minute
- Yield: About 6 to 8 Servings 1x
Ingredients
For Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1–1/2 pounds red cabbage, sliced thin
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt (table, kosher or sea)
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. water
For the Mushroom Gravy:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
16 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt (table, sea or kosher)
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
For the Spaetzle:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt (table, kosher, or sea)
8 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk (2% or whole)
For Pork Schnitzel:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into eight 1-1/2-inch medallions and pounded to 1/2-inch thick
1/2 to 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt (table, sea or kosher)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
3/4 to 1 cup panko bread crumbs
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
Instructions
To Make Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage:
In a 5-Qt pot or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onions and cook until just brown (7-10 minutes). Add the cabbage and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in apples, red wine vinegar, chicken broth, bay leaves, cloves, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer cabbage for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add additional broth if cabbage begins to dry out. At the end of the cook time, combine flour and water until dissolved. Stir into the cabbage to thicken it. Serve as a side dish.
To Make the Mushroom Gravy:
Melt the 2 tbsp. butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until almost brown. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the button mushrooms. Cook for 7-9 minutes or until golden and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add 4 tbsp. butter and melt. Evenly sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms. Stir to combine and cook for about 3 minutes to cook out the flour flavor. Add the beef broth, balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, thyme, and black pepper. Whisk together and allow to thicken slightly. Cover and cook on low until needed, stirring occasionally. If gravy becomes too thick, think with a little more water or heavy cream.
To Make Spaetzle:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high to high heat. Add 1 tbsp. salt to the water at boiling.
While water is boiling, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, eggs and milk until smooth. Batter should be well-combined and thick. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before using. Press batter through a colander placed over the boiling water, or use a spaetzle maker placed over the boiling water. Working in batches, press about 1/3 of the batter into the water. Let noodles cook for about 2-4 minutes. When done, the noodles will rise to the top. Remove from water with a slotted spoon or spider tool to a bowl. Be sure to let excess water drip off. Keep warm in a bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp. butter to the hot spaetzle to prevent them from sticking together. Serve as a side with additional butter, salt and pepper; or cover with Mushroom Gravy.
To Make Pork Schnitzel:
Combine flour, salt and pepper in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or a pie pan. Whisk eggs together in a 2nd pie pan. Place panko crumbs in an additional gallon-sized zip-top bag. Working with individual pork pieces, coat them first in the flour mixture. Shake off excess and dip in the beaten eggs. Shake in the panko crumbs and place on a wire rack before frying. Repeat until all pork pieces are coated.
Heat butter and vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron frying pan. Fry pork pieces 2 to 3 at a time, depending on size. When golden brown, turn and cook until second side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Move to a clean wire rack to let excess oil drain. Serve with Mushroom Gravy, Sweet-Sour Cabbage, and Spaetzle.
IMNPB
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