Paleo German Holiday Meal Recipes

German Prime Rib with Fresh Herb Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 bone-in beef rib roast (6 to 8 pounds)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 small onions, halved
  • 7 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 5 fresh sage sprigs
  • 5 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons ghee or shortening
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or pressed
  • 5 fresh sage sprigs
  • 5 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon cassava flour
  • 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups beef stock, divided
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine or more beef stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • Fresh thyme sprigs, optional

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°. Place roast in a shallow roasting pan, fat side up; rub with salt and pepper. 
  2. Add 1 cup water, onions, garlic, and herbs to the roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes.
  3. Reduce oven setting to 325°. Roast 3 to 3-1/2 hours longer or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°), adding 1 cup water every hour.
  4. For the sauce, in a large saucepan, heat ghee or shortening over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and herbs; cook 1 minute longer. 
  5. Stir in cassava flour, pepper, and salt until blended. Gradually stir in 1-1/2 cups stock. Remove from heat.
  6. Remove roast to a serving platter; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, strain any pan juices through a sieve into a measuring cup; discard onions and herbs. Skim fat from pan juices.
  7. If necessary, add additional stock to pan juices to measure 1 cup. Add to shallot mixture.
  8. Place roasting pan over 2 burners; add wine. Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. 
  9. Add to sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; cook until mixture is reduced to about 1-1/2 cups, 10-15 minutes.
  10. Stir in vinegar; strain, discard the shallots and herbs. Serve with roast and, if desired, garnish with thyme.

German Red Cabbage

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
  • 1 medium apple, sliced
  • 1 medium head red cabbage
  • 1/3 cup honey 
  • 1/3 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, cook and stir onion and apple over medium heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients; cook, covered, until cabbage is tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  3. Serve warm or cold.

Kohlrabi Gratin

Kohlrabi and potato gratin with ham, breadcrumb, and hazelnut topping. If you have a sensitivity to potato then you can use celery root in its place

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 pound kohlrabi
  • 2/3 pound potatoes
  • salt to taste
  • 1 medium egg
  • 5/8 cup coconut milk
  • pepper to taste
  • nutmeg to taste
  • 1 ounce Black Forest Prosciutto smoked ham thinly sliced,
  • 1 slice GF bread, toasted or 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 ounce hazelnuts, finely chopped, optional
  • 1 tsp olive, avocado oil, or palm shortening

Directions:

  1. Peel the kohlrabi, cut into quarters, and then cut into thin slices. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices.
  2. Pre-cook potatoes and kohlrabi in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain. Let stand in the colander to drain well.
  3. Whisk the egg and milk, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cut Black Forest ham into square pieces, about one inch. 
  4. Spread kohlrabi, potatoes, and smoked ham in a baking dish (about 25 x 18 cm, or 7 x 10 inches ) in layers, pour egg and milk combination over the top. 
  5. Bake in a hot oven at 400 degrees C (200 degrees F) on the middle rack for 15 minutes.
  6. Toast bread in toaster and place in a food processor or blender and process until fine crumbs are achieved. 
  7. Chop nuts coarsely and mix with the bread crumbs and oil. Sprinkle over the casserole and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Baked Apples

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 Honey crisp apples
  • 1 cup of roughly chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 a cup of roughly chopped pistachios
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit – cranberries, currants, raisins any dried fruit will do (optional)
  • 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp of ground cloves
  • 3/4 cup of warmed honey
  • 1 tablespoon palm shortening or coconut oil 

Directions:

  1. Start by cutting your apples in half and coring them using an apple corer.  Give them a good rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. 
  2. Slice the apples and arrange them in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish overlapping them slightly, this may result in more than one layer. 
  3. Warm the honey and oil on the stove, stir to combine.
  4. Blend the nuts and spices with the honey and spread on top of the apples and between the layers.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 25-30 mins.
  6. Serve hot or cold topped with whipped coconut cream or non Dairy Ice Cream.