What do we eat? Part II: Zwiebelkuchen

Yesterday I wrote about how we make some foods here that we are used to having in the States. However, we have incorporated a number of local foods into our diet. It's simply easier, because all of the ingredients are readily available here, and the cuisine is actually not all meat and potatoes.

This time of year (fall) is the time for Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake). Actually, you can find Zwiebelkuchen in bakeries year-round, but traditionally people eat it with new wine (Federweisser or Neuer Wein), that is basically actively fermenting grape juice. You can only get new wine in the fall. Joe and I thought that maybe Zwiebelkuchen was special to this region (Swabia), but it turns out it is eaten all over Germany, with regional differences in how it is made.

We had Zwiebelkuchen last Sunday at our local hiking hut - it was a special once-a-year event. We also went to a Zwiebelkuchen party with some colleagues this weekend. Meantime, I made Zwiebelkuchen at home for Joe and I. Each Zwiebelkuchen had a slightly different character, but I have to admit I was quite pleased with how mine turned out. If you are looking for a new recipe to try this fall (and aren't adverse to massive quantities of onions!), I would recommend it.

Zwiebelkuchen

-Prepare a yeast dough according to the package instructions, or prepare it from scratch like you are going to make a pizza.

-Cut 800 g (yes, 0.8 kg!) of onions into rings. I used onions grown in the village next to us and had to take several breaks due to tears. German onions tend to be quite pungent.

-Saute the onions in a few tablespoons of oil until they are glassy. Remove them from heat to allow them to cool.

-Mix two egg yolks (or two whole eggs if you are lazy like me) and 200 g cream together in a bowl.

-Roll out the dough and spread out the onions. Season with salt, pepper and caraway seeds. (Note: caraway is something that is to me a really typical German flavor - think sauerkraut).

-Sprinkle 250 g shredded gouda and bacon or ham on top of the onions. (Note: I used about 100 g of bacon cubes and this was plenty, although the recipe I roughly followed called for 400 g! If you can't get cubed bacon, I think ham or crumbled bacon would be fine.)

-Now top with the egg/cream mixture and bake for 30-40 min. at 200 C. Enjoy!

What 800 g of onions looks like. I cut julienne, btw. Not skilled enough for proper rings.

Zwiebelkuchen before the cheese, egg, cream and baking.

Joe eating Zwiebelkuchen. He does not enjoy onions, bacon and cheese nearly as much as I do.