Definition of Oma: Among people of German ancestry – grandmother, grandma.
Eliza knew her as Oma but I knew her as ‘Mama’. My mom-in-law was the most amazing baker and her skills in traditional German cuisine were no less amazing!
From the first time I met Joe’s parents, Mama was so eager to introduce me to some of the more traditional foods of Germany and she most DEFINITELY had her trade secrets.
Joe’s mom, as a young girl, was raised on a farm with her parents and siblings in a tiny village in western Germany, in the province of Nordrhein-Westfalen. Mama attended vocational school as a young woman, to learn to become a farmer’s wife. I was so astonished to learn that that was an actual trade for women in Germany and Mama, in all of her wisdom and intelligence, wore her duties so well and with great pride.
Joe’s dad wasn’t a farmer, but a carpenter by trade, and had established a concrete factory when Joe was still a boy. Mama did the accounting for the business. She was active in the ladies chapter of her Catholic Church and she was a staunch political supporter and volunteer. She also raised a family of 5 while Papa worked long hours and she was the disciplinarian of the family. And all 5 kids will tell you – when all 4′ 11 ” of Mama spoke, even to her grown sons standing at 6’4″ while wagging a finger, they listened. And they didn’t dare not to.
She was born in 1935 and as a child, lived through the 2nd World War. With Joe beside me acting as my translator, Mama relayed stories to me over the years of how as a young 10 yr old girl, she would be in the farming fields with her father when suddenly the sunlit sky turned to darkness from the mere cloud of war planes flying under the sun while her father yelled to her and her siblings to run for their lives.
And going through my mind was “What, as a young Canadian girl, was I doing at the age of 10? And what were my fears? Did I even have any?” I simply couldn’t wrap my mind around knowing such fear and hardship as a child. Joe’s mom and dad, both, recalled so many stories to me of their childhoods, and those of their own children. What an honour and blessing it was always to be with them in their home. I learned something new everyday with them -about Joe, about them, their values, their German culture and what would become part of our family’s.
The many countless evenings we had spent with them at their dining room table – the same table that saw them congregate their 5 children and grandchildren at for daily meals for 60 yrs, was where I was made to feel part of their family – me, a Canadian girl. Warm, loving, kind and full of grace, they welcomed me into their home, their family and into arms wide open.
On those visits to Germany, Mama reveled in serving up meals for us and later for my son, Craig, that she had raised her family on. And I just knew from the way Joe’s face lit up at being home and having his mom in the kitchen, he was one very content man!
As much as I loved all of her creations, there was one dish in particular that really took to my Canadian palate and that I thought I may be able to pull off and that was this one. It’s a blend of sweet and sour, as many Canadians enjoy, but with a hint of curry, and I just knew that I would always be attempting to recreate it – even as far off the mark as I would repeatedly be, no doubt. I would never give up on it – not just for my husband and in what brought him pleasure in remembering his childhood so fondly, but in my ode to Mama. She did after all, gift me with one of the greatest achievements of her lifetime. This was a woman to be admired and would be, for me, a very tough act to follow in the kitchen.
Keep in mind, that this is my attempt at trying to replicate her recipe, but with a few tweaks considering our Canadian products and ingredients available, it’s very close, although I could never hold a candle to Mama’s – but still SOOO good! Joe always smiles when I make it. Well, Joe always smiles when I cook, period! He’s just happy that he’s being fed! But his smile is even bigger when I attempt any German dish! And of course, we always toast to Mama before we begin to eat it.
It’s super easy, quick and tasty! I think it’s really the curry flavor that makes this dish so special and tasty. Mama used to make hers with ‘curry ketchup‘ which is an actual thing in Germany – sold in a tall red plastic squirt bottle. Also, spaetzle may be hard for you to find – we have a source in Fredericton, but I’m so sure that egg noodles would be a suitable stand-in. This recipe takes roughly 30 minutes to make and kids love it! It was actually this recipe it took to get Eliza to eat red peppers. I’m thinking I must have hidden them well enough then, unlike in this pic.
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg of Spaetzle (German noodle pasta)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 cooking onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup of ketchup
- 4 tbsps white vinegar
- 4 tbsps brown sugar
- 1 tbsp curry
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Method:
In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add 2 cloves of garlic, ground beef and brown.
You can then add peppers and onion to skillet. Once that is cooked through, you can then add ketchup, curry powder, vinegar and brown sugar and bring all to a low boil. Lower burner to ‘low’ setting and place lid on pan.
Now you boil your spaetzle. Fill your pot 2/3 of the way with boiling water. Add salt. Once boiling, add the spaetzle and cook according to package directions. Drain once done, rinse with cold, then with hot water. Return to colander, sitting inside of pot to keep warm on low.
Serve spaetzle on dinner plate, and smother with the meat sauce. We’ve sometimes had it with a side salad, garlic bread or just a fresh French loaf.
If you have leftovers of this, then you didn’t make it right hehe!
I so miss you, Mama and thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing some of your most cherished treasures with this Canadian girl.
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