Sauerbraten with a Twist

Why?

My friend Shawn sent me a recipe for Sauerbraten. I’ve never had sauerbraten before and after reading the recipe, I am embarrassed to admit that I had always assumed it was a kind of sausage (you know, …braten …’brats on the grill and all that. Work with me here!) Anyway, as you may or may not know, sauerbraten is actually a big hunk of braised beef. So after going for so long with my misconception, I had to try this recipe.

What?

Traditional sauerbraten is a beef marinated and braised in vinegar, wine, and spices. This recipe replaces the wine and vinegar with a Belgian lambic beer, which has a slightly sour aftertaste. This recipe takes a little planning in that the beef marinates for 3 – 4 days! I started it on the weekend and then cooked it for a weeknight dinner. In the interest of full disclosure, I could not find a lambic beer. So I used a domestic Belgian-style beer and added a ¼ cup of white vinegar to the marinade.

Also the recipe calls for pickling spice. I don’t have premixed pickling spice so (after a little research) I made my own with black and red

peppercorns, coriander, cardamom, cumin, juniper berries, and fenugreek. (…and yes I do have juniper berries and fenugreek in my pantry, I’m a food-geek, what can I say?) Lastly, I forgot to buy sour cream, so I didn't make the sauce, though it sounds delicious. We just ladled the juice over the meat.

How Much?

Boneless Top Round Roast ($4.99/lb) - $14.42

Onions (3 lb bag) – $2.99

Garlic (1 head) - $0.69

Pickling Spice (2.6 oz, premixed) - $2.99

Total - $21.09

The Recipe:

Sauerbraten with a Twist

Ingredients

For the Meat

24 oz Gueuze or Lambic

8 each garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp pickling spices

2 each yellow onions, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

2 each bay leaves

1 tsp sea salt

4-5 lb top sirloin roast

For the Sauce

¼ cup olive oil

2 each garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 each leek, washed and sliced

1 each bay leaf

2-3 tsp all-purpose flour

½ cup sour cream

Directions

In a stainless steel pot, bring sour beer, garlic, spices, onions, bay leaves and salt to a boil and

cook for 3 minute to combine the flavors. Turn off the heat and let rest until marinate is room

temperature. Place into either a large sealable container or Ziploc bag and add roast. Remove as much air as possible and seal, placing in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. At least once a day, flip the bag to distribute the marinade equally over the meat.

In a Dutch over medium-high heat, add oil and brown the roast (first removing from the marinade, patting dry and reserving the marinade) on all sides. After the meat has formed a nice crust, add onions, garlic, leeks, bay leaf and reserved marinade liquid only, discarding other spices and

vegetables.

Bring to a simmer and place into a 250 F oven for 4 hours. Remove the roast from the liquid, sprinkling with flour and whisking to prevent any lumps. Bring to a low simmer and thicken for about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add sour cream. Adjust seasoning. Slice the roast against the grain of the meat and serve with the sauce over buttered egg noodles tossed with chopped parsley, thyme and savory.

About: Happy New Year!

What a meal, what an evening! I think we really outdid ourselves; Gene and I got together with our friends Joanie and Lawrence and Chris and Nancy. The idea was that we would get together to cook small bites; think tapas and amuse bouches. Oh and don’t forget the wine and champagne! We all love good food and Chris really knows wine.
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Each course was accompanied by different wines, each one spectacular. I don’t feel able to do justice to the wines and adequately discuss them so; I will limit myself to describing the food. We started with my French Onion Soup that was inspired by one we had at a restaurant in Jupiter, Florida. In addition to the Swiss cheese I used our favorite blue cheese, Societé, It was great. I served the soup in demitasse topped with a puff pastry “lid” which was embellished with a “09.”
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Soup was followed by a flight of salads; Chris made a lightly dressed salad of Grilled Baby Octopus on Radicchio and Endive and a Black Eyed Pea salad. We just have to get those black eyed peas in on New Years!
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Next up, Joanie and Lawrence prepared Foie Gras Three Ways. This dish consisted of two disks of a traditional foie gras flecked with truffle, a foie gras mousse, and a “brick” of rustic country pate of foie gras and duck. The dish was served with three delicious breads.
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Our final antipasto was Spicy Grilled Shrimp and Spanish Chorizo with Smoked Paprika. I skewered the shrimp and chorizo on toothpicks and marinated them in garlic, smoked paprika, and white vermouth. Quickly grilled, they were delicious!
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Next, a pasta course; a triumvirate of pasta! Chris and Nancy provided Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli topped with Fried Sage, Grated Biscotti and Parmesan Cheese. Joanie and Lawrence made Orecchiette with Baratta Cheese and Ragu. Orecchiette is a type of pasta native to Apulia, whose shape resembles a small ear (in Italian, "ear" is orecchio). Gene and I contributed Ravioli filled with Homemade Ricotta Cheese and Lemon Zest served alongside Mushrooms Two Ways (roasted mini portabellas and sautéed oyster mushrooms).












And now, on to the main courses!
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Lawrence prepared Lamb Chops with baked Brussel Sprouts as a first main course. Then, Gene made Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Hollandaise Sauce as the second main.

Time-wise, we hit 2009 between the lamb and beef! Last but not least: desserts! Four flights of dessert included: Mini Palmiers, Mini Pastelitos de Guayaba, Belgian Dark Chocolates, and Homemade Candies. By this point, we were all so full that we could barely get up from the table! Happy New Year!

Braised Beef and Onions

Why?
I bought a nice, little chuck roast on sale, brought it home and had no idea what to do with it. I had some onions in the house so I googled “beef chuck roast onions”. My big constraint was I had only ½ bottle of wine in the house and didn’t feel like running out for more. That 375ml of red was for drinkin’, not for cookin’! Well, I hit the jack pot with this gem of a recipe (to which I of course added a few of my own ideas).

What?
It's really just four main ingredients, beef, onions, garlic, and allspice. The allspice kind of threw me at first, but I thought what the heck. After hours in a hot oven, the beef comes out just falling apart and covered in silky, sweet, roasted onions. For my second go-around with this recipe I added a few potatoes and some carrots to the pan about an hour before it was done making it a one-pot meal.
You’ll notice the picture of the Ommegang ale; it doesn’t go in the beef, it goes in the cook (though it would be tasty either way.)

How Much?
I bought the beef and vegetables at Giant, but picked up allspice at Yes! Organic; they’re a great source for fresh spices in bulk. I bought about 3oz of allspice for $2.20 but the recipe only uses about ¼-oz.

Boneless Chuck Roast – 10.74
Onions - $3.10
Garlic - $1.00
Allspice - $0.25
Parley - $1.99
Total - $17.08


The Recipe:

Braised Beef and Onions
Makes 4 servings
active time: 15 min
total time: 3 hrs

Ingredients
1 (2-2 ½ lb) well-marbled boneless beef chuck pot roast
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon pepper
3 very large onions, sliced ¼ inch thick (6-8 cups)
3-4 large garlic cloves, slivered
2 bay leaves (optional)
4 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
1) Stir together allspice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. (Optional substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoons chili powder for the allspice.)

2) Pat meat dry. Using a small paring knife slice deep cuts into the meat and stuff slivers of garlic into the cuts working your way around both sides of the meat until it is evenly studded with garlic. (Any leftover garlic can be added to the onions later.) Rub the allspice mixture all over meat.

3) Spread half the onions in a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan and arrange meat on top. Spread remaining onions over meat (and if using, add bay leaves and any remaining garlic). Tightly cover pan with a double layer of foil and roast for 1 hour.

4) After an hour, turn the meat over and spread some of the onions from the pan over the roast. Recover the pan tightly with foil and cook until meat is very tender, about an additional 1 1/2 hours. (Optional: remove the foil for the last 1/2 hour to allow pan juices to reduce a little and onions to caramelize.)

5) Skim fat from pan juices. Slice meat across the grain and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with onions and pan juices.