Discovery of Rheinischer Sauerbraten

Readers of my older posts are aware of my new obsession with the mysteries of German Culture. I was in Berlin the other day; where I visited this restaurant called Schollenkrug. It’s a pleasant family restaurant with a changing "theme" for every evening. Even the motto of the brunch changes weekly. The staff there is best described as solicitous and yet not intrusive.

I was rather confused with the various names (all in German) so I got some help from the staff. Finally I got around to placing an order for something called “Rheinischer Sauerbraten” – a beef roast stewed with wine, which seemed rather inviting.The dish took a while as grills often do, but when it did arrive it look ravishing! Now of course was the ultimate test – of the taste…

As anticipated the looks were not deceiving and it tasted just as good as it looked. I was impressed enough with each morsel that another trip to the chef was due!I told him of my quest for German Cuisine and he was kind enough to encourage it with this receipe. So for all those envious watered mouths, here goes:

MARINADE FOR SAUERBRATEN:
¼ l Vinegar, ¼ l Water, 1 Bay leaf, 6 Peppercorns, ¼ tsp Mustardseeds, 1 Onion (finely chopped) & 1000 g Beef

FOR STEWING:
60 g Margarine, 1/4 ¼ L Hot broth, 2 tb Red wine, 50 g German black bread, 1 tb Flour, 4 tb Sweet cream, 40 g Raisins MARINADE FOR SAUERBRATEN: Wash the beef, dry it with a paper towel. Score fatty parts. Put the beef into a china (or ceramic or glass) bowl. Bring water with vinegar and spices to a boil, pour it hot over the beef (the beef must be completely covered), and stir well. Keep covered and cool for 3-4 days and turn the meat at least two times a day.

SAUERBRATEN:
After the 3-4 days of marinating: Take the beef off the marinade, drain well. Pour the marinade through a fine sieve. Add a lot of onions - and some dried juniper berries.Heat margarine and brown the beef from all sides. That will take you about 15 Mins. Add broth, dry wine and three tablespoons (not more) of the marinade. Cover and stew for 90 minutes.Crumble the German black bread and add it only 10 minutes before the end of stewing time. Put the beef on a chopping board and cut it into 1/2 inch slices – cut transverse to the fibre. Keep it warm.

GRAVY:

Sieve the beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature. Mix flour and cream in a cup until they are well-mixed and free of lumps. Stir the mixture into the stock and keep the gravy boiling for 5 minutes. Wash the raisins in very hot water, drain and add them to the gravy. Wait 3 mins add Salt to taste. Pour a little gravy over the Sauerbraten, serve the rest apart. Serve with barm dumplings. I urge you to try it and let me know how it turns out - leave a comment below if you are so inclined...my bet, you cant go wrong!