Sides That Stand Out

 Meals can become a little more elaborate and heartier now that the cool weather is here. It starts with tasty sides that pop and make the main dish sing. There's a lot to try , form the simple to the elaborate.

Rice is one of the best sides. It's an easy cook that goes with any kind of meat, from beef to poultry to fish. You can just boil it in water but try cooking it in either beef, chicken or vegetable broth to amp it up flavor wise. Veggies can be added for more pizzazz. Think scallions or onions if you want a stronger taste. Carrots and peas make for a more delicate one. An easy side is cooking brown rice in chicken broth and adding chopped scallions. Finish with three or four tablespoons of soy sauce. This is a wonderful accompaniment to orange or lemon chicken or ginger glazed pork. Rice with almonds and mushrooms is another stand out side that's perfect with turkey or Cornish game hens. Noodles have always been a home chef's side go to. Egg noodles with just melted butter are perfect for every kind of comfort dish from meat loaf to stew. Zing them up a bit with some freshly milled parsley or ground pepper. Spaetzles, those delicious Swabian noodles , are also a perfect foil for pork dishes. Mix them with sauerkraut for a tart , eye opening spoonful or combine with green beans and butter for something milder yet just as flavorful. This last is perfect with roasted chicken while the first is perfect with any German sausage from bratwurst to curry wurst.

Veggies have long played second fiddle to main dishes. Yet they can be just as tasty and can even outshine them. Potatoes are the perfect side. They can be made into a variety of different dishes.Of course, many choose the mashed version and why not? The fluffy mounds can hold puddles of gravy or melted butter. Yet the plain version can be a tad bland at times.Give them some oomph with mashed garlic or ginger thrown in. Keep the skins on or sub in whole cream for milk when mashing. Scalloped potatoes are an elegant side , sure to impress the family. It's mandolined potatoes baked with cream and onions along with garlic, baked for forty five minutes in usually a nine by thirteen casserole dish. Brussels sprouts have always had a bad wrap yet are a lovely and sophisticated side. The best way is steamed and then drizzled with melted butter or margarine and sprinkled with Parmesan. Yet roasted ones are also good. They can be sheet pan roasted with the main meal, drizzled with only olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Brussels sprouts  can also be sauteed too. Carrots are a bright addition to any plate. Many feel that carrots have to be glazed with honey or maple syrup to accentuate their sweetness. Go the opposite way and flavor them with garlic and olive oil. Try them with a butter basil sauce for a different spin.

Make sides stand out. They can be a simple veggie infused rice dish or an elaborate potato one.  Just make them as tasty and outstanding as the main dish.

Healthy Spaetzles

Spaeztles are one of those tasty and German foods that go with everything. This versatile homemade noodle is a great side and can be turned into  a great main dish too. Now there's a new twist to this classic - spinach . Spaetzles are going green.

David Tanis is the one behind their colorful transformation.His City Kitchen in Wednesday's New York Times Food section is devoted to them. He learned how to make then when he was a restaurant cook, form the place's chef, an Austrian who could make these in his sleep. These batter noodles are one of the easiest things to made for any  beginning home chef. They're just a simple mix of flour, water and egg, similar to pasta but without the drama of making sheets and then cutting them in even strips. Spaetzles should have a wetter consistency than pasta dough. Mr.Tanis suggests think porridge with its' gooey, runny batter. They can be made with a soup spoon and a cutting board with the noodles being flicked into a pot of salted boiling water. You can buy a spaeztle maker at Amazon for as low as eleven dollars and it's recommended if you make them a lot(using one is actually much easier and much less messier, plus you'll get a batch of evenly sized spaetzles).

Mr Tanis tweaks the recipe with a spark of green, He adds pureed fresh baby spinach for the best taste.to the egg and water. A dash of nutmeg, always recommended, is also use to temper the taste.He then sautes them in butter and sage with lardons or cubes of bacon or pancetta. Parmesan is then added and the whole dish has a decidedly Italian vibe to it. If you want a more Germanic one, then think of cooking it with sauerkraut or string beans. This last would go well with the spinach, a nice marriage of that fresh veggie flavor. Unusually the noodles accompany veal and pork  however these can be the perfect side to roast chicken or even turkey for the holidays.If these spaetzles are too bland for you , then try Martha Stewart's which have the added zing of thyme ,rosemary and parsley. Milk is also added for body.

A dish of spaetzles is always a good idea. Give them some spark by adding pureed baby spinach to the recipe.It'll be a nice new spin on an classic.

A Wild Spin On Schnitzel

Schnitzel has always been associated with veal.Considering the heaviness of the dish,this light,delicately flavored meat works well with it.After all a stronger tasting meat might clash with the breadcrumbs and the residual taste of the oil.Yet that's being challenged.Many foodie's are trying a pork version that stands up well to the other flavors in the recipe.It makes for a heartier meal, perfect for a fall night. Melissa Clark featured pork schnitzel in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.Pork is in some ways a better medium to cook than veal.Veal is light. ,and easy to digest.It's a lean meat where as the other is fatty.However pork is also richer tasting and also forgiving. Home chefs can screw up with it and it's not so bad.It i easier to work with and a better meat to cook on those busy week days.Ms , Clark recommends using a boneless loin cutlet, preferably one with a ring of fat around it.Like the veal version it should be pounded with the smooth side of meat mallet.( although you can use a drinking glass and wax paper in a pinch)She dredges the pieces in panko breadcrumbs but you can use regular plain or unflavored ones.Fry up in safflower peanut or vegetable oil until golden and crisp. Ms Clark and I differ in what the sides would be with a pork schnitzel.She recommends homemade pickles ,I would go for the more traditional spaetzles with mushroom gravy.She gives the recipe ,a simple, one for the pickles , wanting something tart and crispy to complement the rich pork taste of the schnitzel.If you don't feel like making these, you can just spritz the cutlets with fresh lime juice.Most use lemon to cut the oily taste and the aftertaste too, however, the other adds a more refreshing zing.I would have a side of plain spaetzles , possibly with a homemade mushroom gravy or spaetzles with red cabbage if I want zest.Ms Clark also recommends serving the meat with a serving of lingenberry jam.This last is also a tart palate cleanser that would go well with the cutlets.Again this is a good idea but I would serve an unsweetened apple sauce to balance the meat's strong earthy taste.She also tosses chopped scallions on the schnitzel too, which would works and is a nice finish. Pork schnitzel is a nice spin on the traditional Austrian one.It is heartier, perfect for the cool fall nights.Have it with pickles or red cabbage and spaetzles for zest.The dish is an easy one and a tasty alternative to the veal version.

Spaetzle German Comfort Food

Spaetzles are every German or German American's go to comfort food. These versatile noodles can accompany everything from string beans to sauerkraut, from goulash to hoxen . They're even good on their own with melted butter. Anyway you have them is wunderbar- the perfect comfort food for a chilly fall day.

Spaetzle comes from the Southern German or Swabian word spatz for sparrow. The Swabians add "le" to indicated the diminutive and so the name translates into "little sparrow".Spaetzles been around since medieval times and the first recipe was written down during the 1725. It's also big in the Tyrol, along with, Alsace Lorraine, in France, Austria and Switzerland. The dough is easy to make. It consists of simply eggs flour ,water and a sprinkle for salt. The dough is then pushed through a colander and cut into two inch pieces.They are boiled like pasta is however use just plain water instead of salted.You can also buy spaetzles premade as well.

The noodles are good with almost anything. They compliment and take the bite out of sauerkraut, while being perfect for goulash , They absorb the gravy and mellow the dish's spicy taste. They are also good next to hoxen, roasted pork shoulder. Every Swabian family has their own spin on them. Mine likes them with green beans in a butter sauce. I also like them just plain with melted butter as a main meal. I have cousins who prefer them with grated cheese on top, similar to pasta. Some other Germans have them covered with just fried onions,or with only lentils or in a stew.

Spaetzles are the perfect cool weather dish. They are a great comfort food with other specialties or on their own. Their hearty homemade flavor , keeps the chill at bay.