Vegan Bechamelkartoffeln

When I was a child, I hated white sauce. I would dread having Macaroni Cheese, or worse yet, Cauliflower Cheese. I've gotten over my cauliflower doubts thanks to roasting it with lemon juice. Now I've come to see how delicious white sauce (aka bechamel) can be.

I stumbled across this recipe last winter while I was looking for quintessentially German recipes. Bechamelkartoffeln, steaming hot potatoes in creamy white sauce, are a perfect winter side. Add a vegan sausage and a little salad, and you've got dinner. I changed the original recipe a little to make it vegan and easier to follow if you've never made a bechamel before.

Vegan Bechamelkartoffeln

Serves 4
Lightly adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes
1 onion
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
250 ml soy milk
250 ml vegetable stock 
salt, pepper and nutmeg

Method  

1. Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to salted water and boil until tender. Dice the onion.

2. Heat margarine in a pan over medium heat, and fry the onion until soft. Add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the soy milk slowly, whisking between additions to avoid lumps. Add the vegetable broth. 

3. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring regularly. Add the potatoes and simmer for a few more minutes. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Zwiebelmett (Mince with Onions)

Zwiebelmett is basically mince with onions and spices, which people often eat spread on buns. I've never tried real Zwiebelmett, since I had already been vegan for some years before I came to Germany. I'm not sure who first thought of the idea of making it out of rice cakes, but there are many versions of this recipe online in German.

While I was researching this, I found out that Germans sometimes shape Mett into a "Mettigel" (a mince hedgehog) for parties, and decorate it with onions for spikes. Definitely going to have to try that for my next party!

A Mettigel (Picture from Wikipedia)

Zwiebelmett (Mince with Onions)

Makes 600 ml - enough for a small Mettigel!

Ingredients

18 thin or 9 thick rice cakes (100 g)
1 onion
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
pepper

Method

1. Crumble the rice cakes. Add 300 ml water and mix well. Mince the onion. Mix the onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper with the rice cakes.

2. Check the consistency. If it's too dry, add 50 ml more water. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When you're ready to serve, taste and add a bit more salt and pepper if you like. This is nice on buns by itself or with some chives or a few slices of cucumber on top.

German Pea, Carrot and Sausage Stew

This is an easy vegan Eintopf (one-pot, the German word for stew). It's simple but tasty and satisfying. Highly recommended for chilly days with some toast on the side to soak up the juices.

German Pea, Carrot and Sausage Stew

Serves 2
Adapted lightly from this recipe, in German

Ingredients

120 ml whole dried peas
1 onion
2 carrots
2 potatoes
500 ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper and cider vinegar
a few vegan sausages (optional)

Method

1. Soak the peas overnight. Cook until done (how long this takes will vary with the dryness of your peas). Drain and set aside.

2. Dice the onion, carrots and potato. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion and carrots over medium heat until the onion is soft.

3. Add the potatoes, stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are done, about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt, pepper and a glug of vinegar.

4. Chop up the sausages, add them to the pot, and cook for a few minutes to warm.

Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)

Kisir is a Turkish salad that's very popular in Berlin bakeries. It's easy to make and is a great picnic or barbecue food. An important ingredient is ajvar, a paste made of roasted capsicums and sometimes eggplant. If you have a choice, use the kind of ajvar that's deep red, not orange - it has a more intense flavour. You can change up this recipe quite a lot if you want, for example by adding some minced tomatoes or leaving out some of the herbs.

Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)

Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side

Ingredients

400 ml bulgur
1 tsp salt
400 ml boiling water
1/4 red or white onion
3 cloves garlic
a bunch spring onions
a bunch of flat-leaf parsley and a bunch of mint OR a few handfuls of rocket
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp ajvar
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 pinches chili flakes
a good glug of olive oil

Method

1. Put the bulgur, salt and boiling water in a large bowl.

2. Mince the onion, garlic, mint and parsley. Chop the spring onions. Add to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the rocket. Mix very well with your hands. Toss with the rocket before serving.

Rotkohl (German Stewed Red Cabbage)

Rotkohl is a German side, often eaten at Christmas, which is basically red cabbage stewed with apples, spices and vinegar. It goes really well with some vegan sausages and roasted veggies. It also freezes well, so you can make a huge pot and freeze it in portions for insta-roast dinner later. It does take more than two hours to cook, but not much of that is active time.

Rotkohl (German Stewed Red Cabbage)

Translated and veganised from this recipe, in German.
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 onion
1 small red cabbage
3 cooking apples
2 tbsp vegan margarine
1 bay leaf
6 cloves
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp jam
salt and sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) water
1 tbsp flour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Dice the onion, shred the cabbage, and peel, core and dice the apples.

2. Heat the margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the onions until browned. Add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the apples, bay leaf, cloves, vinegar, jam and water. Add sugar and salt to taste, and cook until the cabbage is ready, about 2 hours.

4. Add the flour and the water mixture and cook for a few more minutes. Add more sugar, salt and vinegar to taste - don't go too easy on it, start with a big glug of vinegar. Take out the bay leaf and cloves, if you can find them.