- Joined
- Feb 12, 2001
- Messages
- 4,501
Just thought I'd share two special recipes from my mom. They are actually meant to be served together. My mom passed away Christmas eve 2001, and I've had a really hard time dealing with it. I was quite depressed for a long while, but I'm really making an effort to focus on positive memories. Hopefully sharing these recipes will help. She was a great person, very kind and compassionate, intelligent, resourceful, and of course, a great cook. She grew up during and after WWII, and was a great proponent of the thriftiness of which munk often speaks. Nothing ever went to waste in our house.
The first recipe is her recipe for Sauerbraten. The text of these recipes comes from a cookbook put together by the local elementary school sometime in the early 90's:
----------------------------------------
Sauerbraten
This is my grandmother Witze's recipe for sauerbraten. It was a favorite of my dad and uncle. When I married Jack 32 years ago, he thought it was a good part of my recipe "dowry". Our son, Joshua, loves it too.
Bring to a boil about 2 cups red wine and 1 cup cider vinegar with 1 bay leaf. Pour over cheaper cut of beef (such as chuck roast), about 3 lbs., to which you have added 1 carrot, sliced, and one onion chopped, plus one clove of garlic crushed. Add 10 whole cloves, 10 whole peppercorns tied together in a square of cheese-cloth, and a couple of shakes of ginger. This should be in a glass or china bowl. Refrigerate and turn meat several times a day for 3 or 4 days. Heat a little duck fat (or cooking oil) in a heavy Dutch Oven. Reserved marinade. Dry meat on paper towels. Brown meat on both sides. Add marinade and vegetables and 2 cups water and simmer, covered, turning meat once after an hour. Cook several hours, 3 or 4, until tender. Add a little water if necessary to make enough liquid for gravy. Thicken gravy with crushed Gingersnaps or cornstarch. Discard spice bag and bay leaf. Serve with spaetzle.
Spaetzle
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (unsifted)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
Enough water to make a stiff
batter, 1/3 to 1/2 cup, add gradually
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adding water gradually. With a whisk beat, and beat, and beat-the more bubbles the better. It should be like a popover batter. Press batter through colander with large holes into boiling water. (Use a rubber spatula and this will make tiny bits of batter). The tiny dumplings will float to the top when done. Remove with slotted spoon. Great with Sauerbraten Gravy. This is Jack's great grandmother's recipe.
Shelley Feltman
----------------------------------------
So, there you have it, straight from my mom to you. On a side note, this recipe also works with squirrel ( I told you my mom was thrifty
), though to be perfectly honest, I prefer it with beef.
--Josh
The first recipe is her recipe for Sauerbraten. The text of these recipes comes from a cookbook put together by the local elementary school sometime in the early 90's:
----------------------------------------
Sauerbraten
This is my grandmother Witze's recipe for sauerbraten. It was a favorite of my dad and uncle. When I married Jack 32 years ago, he thought it was a good part of my recipe "dowry". Our son, Joshua, loves it too.
Bring to a boil about 2 cups red wine and 1 cup cider vinegar with 1 bay leaf. Pour over cheaper cut of beef (such as chuck roast), about 3 lbs., to which you have added 1 carrot, sliced, and one onion chopped, plus one clove of garlic crushed. Add 10 whole cloves, 10 whole peppercorns tied together in a square of cheese-cloth, and a couple of shakes of ginger. This should be in a glass or china bowl. Refrigerate and turn meat several times a day for 3 or 4 days. Heat a little duck fat (or cooking oil) in a heavy Dutch Oven. Reserved marinade. Dry meat on paper towels. Brown meat on both sides. Add marinade and vegetables and 2 cups water and simmer, covered, turning meat once after an hour. Cook several hours, 3 or 4, until tender. Add a little water if necessary to make enough liquid for gravy. Thicken gravy with crushed Gingersnaps or cornstarch. Discard spice bag and bay leaf. Serve with spaetzle.
Spaetzle
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (unsifted)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
Enough water to make a stiff
batter, 1/3 to 1/2 cup, add gradually
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adding water gradually. With a whisk beat, and beat, and beat-the more bubbles the better. It should be like a popover batter. Press batter through colander with large holes into boiling water. (Use a rubber spatula and this will make tiny bits of batter). The tiny dumplings will float to the top when done. Remove with slotted spoon. Great with Sauerbraten Gravy. This is Jack's great grandmother's recipe.
Shelley Feltman
----------------------------------------
So, there you have it, straight from my mom to you. On a side note, this recipe also works with squirrel ( I told you my mom was thrifty
), though to be perfectly honest, I prefer it with beef.--Josh
