Oktoberfest started this week in Munich and I thought it was a good time to repost my Pretzel and Obatzder recipe from last year.
Prost und Guten Apetit !
Monday, September 20, 2010
Today is the start of Oktoberfest! This will be the 200th year it is celebrated!
What exactly is Oktoberfest? To begin with, THE original,
authentic Oktoberfest it is a 16 day celebration in Munich, Germany that occurs
mostly in September and usually ends on the first Sunday in October. The initial
purpose was to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (who later became King Ludwig I) of Bavaria and actually did occur in October. The celebration was later moved to mid September in order to take advantage of the usually nicer weather in Germany at that time of the year and perhaps more importantly because most people are no longer farmers who need the valuable September weeks for harvesting their goods.
While many of us relate large quantities of beer with Oktoberfest, there are also many types of food associated with the festival. I admit I am a little biased to the culinary aspect for two main reasons. The first and obvious reason; I am a chef by profession and always enjoy trying new foods and then recreating the experience in the kitchen. The less obvious reason is that my wife, Margit grew up in Bavaria and always enjoys
the tastes of home when I cook something from her childhood.
There are many types of food available in the vast beer halls of Munich during
Oktoberfest. Choices range from Hendl (Chicken), Schweinsbraten (Roast Pork),
Schweinshaxen (Pork Knuckle), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish, often mackarels on a
stick), Würste (Sausages) to Sauerkraut, Blaukraut (Red Cabbage), Rettich (white
radish), Knödeln (either Bread or Potato Dumpling) and Weisswurst (White
sausage, usually eaten in the morning to cure “einen Kater” or hangover).
Besides the sausages, there is one staple food that stands out above the rest and that is the Bavarian Brezen or Pretzel. If you have never had the pleasure of eating a true Bavarian Pretzel, it is difficult to appreciate the differences between what is sold here in the States as a Pretzel and what is served in Bavaria. I suppose you may compare it with the difference between a bagel bought on the Lower East Side on Manhattan to a Bagel purchased at a supermarket
It was this Pretzel that I had searched for and attempted to
recreate in the kitchen over the years with some decent facsimiles but all were lacking in the hard crunchy crust and soft inside associated with a true Brezen. My search was finally complete upon a trip to Germany last year with Margit. We had the opportunity to visit with Margit’s father and his wife Ursula. Ursula is about 90 years old and is sharp as a tack, we started talking about cooking and Pretzels and she gave me her recipe. I was excited to try it and couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen.
However, after my return home; my mood was dampened when I discovered that one of the key steps in preparing the pretzel prior to baking was dipping it in Lye. Yes, lye similar to what is in drain cleaner. Upon research I found that food grade lye is FDA approved and readily available over the Internet. Yes, I was able to continue my quest! If you are
apprehensive about using lye in cooking (it is also used to make items such as hominy and the aforementioned bagel) you can substitute a baking soda bath prior to baking. The Brezen will not be quite the same, but almost. The recipe includes both options.
While these Brezen are delicious by the themselves
or with some sweet mustard, 
to
truly recreate the Oktoberfest Bier Garten experience try serving it with the
traditional Bavarian cheese spread “Obatzda”.
This dish is not for those counting calories or are on a low fat diet as the two main ingredients are cheese and butter. It is however a delicious accompaniment to Bier and Brezen. There as as many versions of Obatzder in Bavaria as there are for chili in Texas. They all contain the same basic ingredients but with different variations. Some also include beer as an essential ingredient. I am partial to my wife’s family recipe and have included it as well.
The Bavarians have the word “Gemütlichkeit” that literally translates to coziness. However that is doing the word an injustice. The word has a much more abstract meaning. It actually is meant to convey a feeling of friendship, family and belonging. This is the feeling that one should have during Oktoberfest. So if you are enjoying a late summer day with friends and are having some Bier, Brezen and Obatzder then “Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit” or “a toast to good cheer”
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The last month has been busy for Park Hill Chefs and I am very thankful for the business and the clients. Besides my normal weekly clients, I have been consulting to a local caterer who is moving into a new facility. I have also been providing dinner parties/cooking classes to several guests.
recommend using a food processor to accomplish this, but be careful not to puree the mushrooms. Stick to pulsing it and you should be okay. Also, the duxelles should cook for 20-25 minutes in order for all the moisture to first be released from the mushrooms and then slowly be drawn back into them. The end result will be about half in volume of what you start with and achieve a nice dark brown color. Remember that the type of mushrooms you start out with effects the final outcome. I recommend a combination of cremini and button mushrooms. They tend to make a nice balanced flavor.
