German Spaghetti

Bangbang's Note:

This was made by my Mother Inlaw from Germany. My wife made this often and it inspired my own version which you can find under Hamburger Gravy.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 lbs ground beef (chuck,round,or beef)
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 large onion
• salt
• pepper
• maggi seasoning
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• water
• flour
• spaghetti noodles (we like thin or vermicelli)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Fry onions and celery in hot oil three minutes.
2. Add beef to pan and cook till browned.
3. sprinkle about two tablespoons flour over cooked meat and stir for about 1 minute add just enough water to cover meat and add bouliion cubes.
4. salt and pepper to taste while cooking on low uncovered untill thickened.
5. Add a little more water if it gets to thick.
6. If film forms on top just stir it in.
7. I use a wire wisk for this stage.
8. Serve on noodles with Maggi Sauce on the side.
9. Maggi is similair to Soy Sauce.

Reviews

[Michelle S.]

This was definitely interesting, and I must admit the more you ate the more it grew on you. The color is very bland and unappetizing, so it may not appeal to some that way. I used leek instead of onion as I had one to use up. And if you do not have Maggi seasoning I would NOT make a special trip to buy it like I did. It tastes exactly like soy sauce. All that said I would make this again, but it would not be a regular in rotation unfortunately. It is good, but not something I would "crave".

[texasgal #3]

Sound very good and I will try it out tomorrow. I am German, do not know this particular dish but there are different regions in Germany and they all have their dishes. What got me was the Maggi Sauce. That is so typically german that I had to smile. I will not eat soup without that sauce. A lot of grocerystores have it in stock, check the chinese section since they tend to stock that sauce there.Red and yellow paper wrapper that says "Maggi Sauce" or Seasoning. Thank you Bangbang.

[Chef-Boy-I-Be Illinois]

I'd never heard of German spaghetti, so I was intrigued enough to want to try this recipe. It reminded me of the hamburger stroganoff (sans sour cream) that Mom used to make. I struggled over whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed the dish, and both had seconds. However, as I was making it I had to make several tweaks. First, I used 1/4 cup of flour rather than the 2T in the recipe so the gravy would thicken up. I also used one can beef broth and 1/2 bottle of dark German beer. After tasting it, I added quite a bit of freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce (plus had at table if anyone wanted additonal), and 1 teaspoon dry mustard. I simmered this for 20 minutes while I made my 1/2 box of rotini, which I then stirred into the hamburger mixture and served out of a nice serving bowl. I've never met a recipe I didn't like to tweak, and this one demanded a few to make it work for us. That said, we thoroughly enjoyed the end product! Made and reviewed for My Three Chefs Fall 2008.