We own and operate a German food manufacturing business called The Vermont Spätzle Company. You would think I made more German food than I do with a German company.
Yes, our spätzle is considered a German food; however, I use it as I would any pasta as our customers do. In Germany, spätzle is served with cheese, caramelized onions, or brown gravy.
Our spätzle can be made with pesto, shrimp scampi, topped with Bolognese sauce, with Asian sauces, casseroles, and soups; you name it. Basically, it can be as simple as sautéed with butter or as complex as you wish with endless possibilities.
Our newly updated kitchen is done but still needs a few things to finish it. When everything is complete and the kitchen is finished, I’ll do a reveal. Tonight, I will show you how gorgeous the new tile wall and hood vent look. The area is so bright, light, and airy. I no longer cook in a cramped, dark space with a vent hood that wasn’t appropriate and constantly over-heated.
I’ve had a head of red cabbage in the fridge for quite a while and needed to use it. I decided to make a traditional German dinner. On the menu, roasted pork tenderloin with mushroom cream sauce, sauteed spätzle, and red cabbage.
Red cabbage, not something that everyone makes very often or at all for that matter. I make a very good pot of red cabbage with my recipe I adapted from an old German cookbook from Dr. Oetker. I’ve been making it for at least 30 years and have gotten rave reviews from Germans. We had a German garden railroad event at our house; I made German food for Germans. This was long before the spätzle business, but I still felt confident that my food would pass the taste test.
As a cook who has cooked for many other people professionally, you always have a little anxiety just before service. Every cook wants their dishes to be delicious and loved by the diners. This event was no different. I made a super-strong vodka drink when it was over and celebrated I pulled it off.
I remember I grilled different German sausages. I made hot German potato salad with red cabbage. I also made a Black Forrest sheet cake that was a huge hit. I kept busy while people were eating and were so proud when the guests all told me my red cabbage was better than their mothers and omas. This was a huge fucking compliment if there ever was one!
Back to tonight’s red cabbage, I decided to write the recipe for my dish to publish on our business’s website along with many other recipes I wrote. Customers always ask for German food recipes that go with our spätzle, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so.
I mentally noted quantities, directions, and cook times while making it this afternoon. I will sit down and physically write the recipe tomorrow. I’ll share it with you guys, too, if anyone has a craving for red cabbage. My recipe is the perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty, and savory; plus, it isn’t hard to make. Jarred red cabbage is tasty, but homemade is the real deal and is much better.
As I started sautéing the red cabbage on my spotless stove surrounded by the new white tiles and light gray walls, I tried to be extra careful not to splatter. I guess this was a ballsy move, almost asking for trouble, but whatever, the stove is for cooking. During clean-up, I was happy I didn’t make a mess at all.
I took demo photos as I prepared the red cabbage and some pictures of the finished plate for the spätzle business. The German meal was perfect for a cold Sunday night with snow in the forecast, plus it was terrific too. Marty loved it! 🥰
Right now, I am going outside to make sure the hatches are battened down and pick up the dog’s balls. I’ll be sure to bring in some flashlights. 40-50 mph wind gusts will accompany the snowstorm forecasted to start soon. Terrific right? The power company is warning people for power outages already. Ugh. They say 8-14 inches of snow with wind, then turning to rain and ice. Ick.
A beautiful snowstorm when you have nowhere to go is one thing, but no one likes the shit show of a storm coming. Be safe and stay warm, my upstate NY and Vermont friends.