German Comfort Food - Sauerbraten (part 2)

In Sauerbraten Part 1 we began marinating the roast.  I know that all of you have been religiously turning your roast in the marinade every 12 hours for the last couple of days, right?  Excellent!  Now it's time to complete the transformation from just another roast, to that ever so evocative of German dishes.... Sauerbraten.....

As I eluded to in the previous post.  You will require about 6-10 Gingersnap cookies to finish off the gravy.  You did remember to get some gingersnaps, right?  If you forgot, you can always use stale Gingerbread (crumbled up) or even go so far as to use Gingerbread Cookies (crushed), if you have some lying around.  I never do, so I opt for the gingersnaps purchased from a grocery store.  Luckily, I have not eaten all of them as well. :)

Saurbraten

(Part 2)

4 TB Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Water
6-10 Gingersnap cookies, pulverized (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Remove the roast from the refrigerator and let is warm up for about 1/2 hour.

Remove the roast from the marinade to a stack of paper towels and dry the roast thoroughly, for just as Julia says, "Wet meat doesn't brown as well."

Strain the marinade into a large bowl, to remove the miscellaneous adjuncts. (Coriander seeds, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, Onions, Carrot, etc.)

Wash the pot and preheat the oven to 300F degrees.

Place the clean pot over medium heat and melt 4 TB of Unsalted Butter.

Once the butter has melted, place the roast in the pot and sear on all sides, until nice and brown.

 By all sides, I mean even the ends.

Once the roast is all browned and delicious looking, pour the marinade over the top.

Bring the marinade to a boil, on the stove.

Cover.... and move to your preheated oven for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours.... Turning the roast every hour.

This is usually when I put the cookies into a ziploc bag.

And smash them into infinitesimal crumbs with a rolling pin, then set them aside until everything is ready for them to meet their gravy thickening destiny.

Once it has braised to a nice and tender slab of deliciousness, remove from the oven.

Extract the roast from the marinade and slice it up (as best you can, it will fall apart for the most part).

Tent to keep warm whilst you finish the gravy.

Pour out the marinade into a measuring cup.

You need at least 1 1/2 cups of marinade/meat juices, I usually have about 2 cups. (which is OK by me, cause that just means more gravy)

Add this back to the pot and fortify the marinade with 1/2 cup Water.

Bring this to a simmer over medium flame and add the Gingersnap crumbs.

Stir them in well, then bring the whole thing back to a simmer again.

Continue simmering until the sauce thickens into a rich and deliciously spiced gravy.

Lay it out on a warm platter and douse it with gravy.

Don't forget to save some back for your guests..

Serve, with Spaetzle & Mushrooms and Fried Red Cabbage.

MMMMMMM Germany on a Plate!

Fütterung der Raubtiere!!
~~

German Comfort Food - Sauerbraten (part 1)

I love my comfort foods.   Macaroni and Cheese, Lasagne, Corned Beef Pinwheels, Chicken and Dumplings, Boeuf Bourguignon, Lentil Soup, Biscuits and Gravy, Stroganov, and Pasta Carbonara, to name just a few.  There is one comfort food though, that I don't make very often.  This is mainly because, as a single person, there is no possible way I can eat my way through a 4 lb hunk o' beef.  Something of that size is better regulated to the proverbial "holiday get together". Sadly, those usually already include a large turkey, a BBQ, or a leg of lamb, leaving no room for an additional large roast.

I speak not of Pot Roast, per se, but of that most quintessentially "German" of dishes on this large blue marble.  Sauerbraten (Sour Roast).  

As luck would have it, we are going to have a small get together with a family friend, so it's time that I whipped this recipe out and brushed the cobwebs off.  And it's a good thing, because Sauerbraten takes a little forethought.  You must begin marinating the meat 48-72 hours ahead of time.

So what exactly IS Sauerbraten?  Well, it's sort of Germany's answer to Boeuf Bourguignon.  Though considering the antiquity of the recipe, it's more correctly stated that Boeuf Bourguignon is France's answer to Sauerbraten.  Legend has it that the recipe stems from when Julius Caesar was shipping in meat for his legions during one of his campaigns against the Thuringians.  In order to preserve the meat, it was stored in amphora full of vinegar.  Since the Romans had a tendency to simply colonize the areas of their conquests and merge with the local peoples, the defeated Thuringians, Bavarians, and Saxons were eventually exposed to this soured meat. The flavor was well received and eventually became part of the local cuisine.

Granted, the Thuringians, as well as several other tribes that inhabited the area in Europe that we know today as "Germany", originally used this method of marination on Horse meat.  Horse can be a very tough chew, but the vinegar marinade has the added benefit of tenderizing the meat. While I am normally a stickler for tradition, I will be foregoing the horse meat for this recipe.  While I have eaten A LOT of things that most people would not, from Opossum to Bear and back again, but I find the idea of eating horse to be somewhat horrifying.  I know it is still eaten in Europe; France, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands & Iceland just being a few, but I find horses to be too intelligent to be eaten.  I am not even overly fond of them, but when you look them in the eye, you can see that they have a level of self awareness beyond that of a sheep, cows and pigs.  Heck, they are even smarter than goats (being from a goat dairy, it really annoys me to say that).  Sorry, I firmly believe that it's on par with eating your dog, your cat or a dolphin.  But that is just how I feel about it. 

Thus, when I make Sauerbraten, I use a big chunk of beef.  Parts such as the Bottom Round, Top Round, Rump or Chuck are good choices and tend to be cheaper pieces of meat.  Basically anything you would use for a Yankee Pot Roast will be just fine.

But we gotta get this chunk of Bovine marinating, so it's time for me to quit yappin and get to cookin.
I am going to do this post in 2 installments because of the amount of time required.  It will give you a chance to follow a long it you want.  :)

An old Corningware 5 quart pot works GREAT for this, since it goes from the stove to the refrigerator to the oven to the table.   LOVE this stuff.  (That is why this recipe will be posted to Corningware411 as well)

Sauerbraten

2 Onions, sliced
1 rib of Celery, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
4 Bay Leaves
7 whole Clove Buds
1/2 tsp Coriander Seed
3/4 tsp Black Peppercorns
2 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 cups Red Wine Vinegar
3 1/2 - 4 lb Beef Roast

Later you will need (just so there are no surprises in the second installment)
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup crushed Ginger Snaps

Grab a 5 quart pot and add the Onions, Celery, Carrot, Bay Leaves, Cloves, Coriander and Black Peppercorns.

Pour in the Water and the Red Wine Vinegar.

Cover the pot and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and add the meat to the hot marinade.

Turning to coat.

Cover again, and place in the refrigerator.

Turn the meat every 12 hours for at least 2 days (48 hours) but preferably 3 days (72 hrs)

Your patience and perseverance will be rewarded.
~~

Through the magic of the Blogverse you can Fast Forward to Sauerbraten Part 2

Бефстроганов - Beef "à la" Stroganov

I have to admit that this is not really a Stroganov recipe anymore.  Which is probably a good thing, because I think my "Russian" in the title is wrong. 

My entire family has tweaked the original recipe so many times over the years that it has definitely become "Americanized".  Then again, I guess it can't really be helped on some level.  It started with the lack of Smetana.

Smetana is an Eastern European soured cream product that has the same properties as Crème Fraîche.  It doesn't curdle under heat like Yogurt and "Sour Cream" do.  It's also not quite as thick as Sour Cream, however, it is more sour than Crème Fraîche, thus the conundrum.  So to produce the same effect, we originally mixed Sour Cream with Heavy Cream and Lemon Juice to produce a "smetana type" product.  Then Crème Fraîche suddenly became available on a regular basis and a shift occurred.  NOW we mix Crème Fraîche with a little Sour Cream and Lemon Juice.  This works significantly better than the old way.  (But in a pinch your can still mix 8 oz of Sour Cream with 2 oz of Heavy Cream and 1 tsp Lemon Juice)

Over the years we have dropped the Dijon Mustard from the recipe...  Which is technically what makes it NOT Stroganov, being by definition "Beef in Mustard and Sour Cream".  Though occasionally I throw it in anyway.  In this family it's all about the wine, sour cream and homemade egg noodles... LOL

That is the one thing that has never changed over the years.... Homemade Egg Noodles.

While I realize that it's more traditional to serve Stroganov ("Stroganoff" in French) with crispy shoestring potatoes, I really enjoy it over noodles.  It's a comfort food thing.  Which is why I was so diligently making Egg Noodles yesterday to fill the freezer shelf.  So I am always prepared for....

Beef à la Stroganoff

1 lb Chuck or Sirloin Steak, cubed in 1 1/2 pieces
1 1/2 TB AP Flour
1 TB Olive Oil
4 TB Unsalted Butter, divided
1 White Onion, chopped
8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp Tomato Paste
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
4 oz Pinot Noir
2 tsp Lemon Juice
8 oz Crème Fraîche      - or -   8 oz Sour Cream
2 oz cup Sour Cream    - or -   2 oz Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
12 oz Fresh Egg Noodles tossed with Unsalted Butter

Place cubed Beef in a storage bag with the AP Flour, seal and toss well.

Heat 2 TB Olive oil in a saute pan, then add the flour coated Beef and saute until well browned.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Melt 2 TB Unsalted Butter in the saute pan.

When Hot, add the Onions and saute until soft.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Melt remaining 2 TB Butter in the saute pan.

When hot, add the Mushrooms and saute until browned.

Remove from the pan and set aside as well.

Deglaze the pan with 4 oz of Pinot Noir, lower the heat to Medium-Low and let this reduce by 1/3 (about 2 minutes).

Add the Tomato Paste and Dijon Mustard stirring to combine.

In a small bowl combine the Lemon Juice, Crème Fraîche and Sour Cream (or the Lemon Juice, Sour Cream and Heavy Cream)

Remove the saute pan from the heat and stir in the Crème Fraîche/Sour Cream mixture.

Add the Beef, Onions and Mushrooms back to the pan and continue simmering for 5 minutes.

While the Stroganov is simmering, drop the Fresh Egg Noodles into a pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes...

Drain well and toss with a little bit of Unsalted Butter. (about 1 TB)

Season with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, then serve over, or tossed with, Homemade Egg Noodles (or better yet, with crispy Shoe-string potatoes on the side)

Mangia!!
~~