A German Affair: Sauerbraten and Spaetzle

For tonight's dinner I went back to my roots. Why don't I eat German food more often? It's delicious, hearty, and flavorful. Oh, now I remember why... it's a lot of hard work to make.

You have to marinate the beef for several days! While that is not hard, it does take some planning. Then you brown it in a pan and roast it in the oven for over 3 hours! Again, not hard, but it occupies your oven for a while. If spaetzle wasn't so delicious I would never ever make it. It is one of the most labor intensive and messiest dishes I have made. You have to make a dough, and push it through a colander over a pot of boiling water. Even after I thinned the dough called for in the recipe, I still had to work pretty hard to push it all through.

I found these two traditional German recipes in my Taste of Home magazine. Sauerbraten is a tender, long marinated roast and speatzle is a cross between a small dumpling and a noodle or as my dad describes it as the German gnocchi.

This meal was exquisite. The Sauerbraten was so tender it fell apart when I cut it, and the spaetzle was warm and buttery. Everyone went back for seconds and thirds. Beware though, don't eat too much! This meal is meant to fill you up and keep you full.

Sauerbraten
*Must marinate for at least 1-2 days!

1 quart water (4 cups)
2 cups red wine vinegar
12 whole cloves** All I had was ground, just a pinch worked fine
2 bay leafs
3 teaspoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 boneless beef chuck or rump roast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion cut into wedges
several baby carrots
2 celery ribs, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

In a large bowl, combine the water, vinegar, cloves, bay leaves, salt and brown sugar. Pour into a resealable plastic bag, add roast. Refrigerate for 1-2 days.

Remove roast, saving marinade. Pat roast dry, dredge in flour. Add oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat and brown roast on all sides. Transfer to a Dutch oven, or large pot with a lid that can go into the oven, and add vegetables and 2 cups of marinade.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Strain cooking juices and thicken them if desired.

Crumb-Coated Spaetzle

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)

In a bowl combine flour, salt, eggs, and milk. Stir until smooth. **If still really thick add more milk

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. With a rubber spatula, press dough through a colander into boiling water. Cook and stir gently for 4-5 minutes or until spaetzle float and are tender.

Combine bread crumbs and butter. With a slotted spoon transfer spaetzle to a large bowl. Add crumb mixture and toss to coat.