Food Friday : Sauerbraten

Now that you know how to make the appropriate side dishes; such as red cabbage, German potato salad, and potato pancakes for many German dinners. Go for the big meal - Sauerbraten! This meal needs to be planned and prepared in advance since the meat must marinate for at least three days. If you choose to have this meal with red cabbage, the cabbage can be prepared earlier and then re-heated if desired.

Sauerbraten

Ingredients:

- 4 lb bottom round roast

- 3 large onions, chopped

- 3 stalks celery, chopped

- 3 carrots, chopped

- 5 garlic cloves, whole

- 2 cups dry red wine

- 1 cup red wine vinegar

- 1 cup Coca-Cola

- 1 tbsp salt

- 1 tbsp pepper

- 1 tbsp parsley

- 3 tbsp sugar

- 2 tbsp mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

- 10 cloves

- 2 tbsp tomato paste

- 2 bay leaves

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 1/4 cup gingersnap crumbs

- Cornstarch, as needed

Method:

1) To make marinade, in stock pot, add & mix onion, celery, carrots, garlic cloves, red wine, red wine vinegar, Coca-Cola, salt, pepper, parsley, sugar, mustard seeds, nutmeg, cloves, tomato paste, and bay leaves.

2) Bring marinade to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, let marinade cool.

3) Put marinade and roast in large sealable plastic bag, refrigerate for 2 or 3 days, turn meat every 12 hours.

4) Pre-heat oven to 350F.

5) Remove meat from marinade, keep marinade, allow roast to warm to room temp (60 minutes), season roast with salt & pepper, on stove top heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium to high heat, once hot, brown roast on all sides, pour in marinade and bring to boil.

6) Cover Dutch oven with aluminum foil (to lock in juices), put Dutch oven lid on, put in pre-heated oven for 3 to 4 hours until meat is fork tender.

7) Remove roast from oven, tent w/aluminum foil

8) Strain marinade, discard mixture solids, add strained marinade back into Dutch oven, on stove top over medium heat, whisk in gingersnap crumbs and cornstarch until gravy is thickened.

9) Serve with red cabbage, and Spaetzle or potato dumplings.