On 1/7/2011 3:51 PM, Kate Connally wrote:
> I made Sauerbraten (pork), Himmel Und Erde (mashed potatoes and apples),
> and Bohnen Und Speck (green beans with bacon dressing). It was, and
> still is, scrumptious. I was really looking forward to this as I haven't
> made it for several years and it's one of my favorites.
>
> Here are the recipes:
>
> SAUERBRATEN AUF NORDDEUTSCHE ART
> (North German-style Sauerbraten)
>
> 3 1/2-4 lb. boned rump or shoulder of beef, or shoulder of pork, or
> fresh ham
> 1 qt. buttermilk
> few drops lemon juice
>
> Sauce:
> 2 c. red wine
> 2 c. water
> 1 T. salt
> 1 bay leaf
> 4-5 peppercorns
> 1 T. vinegar
> 3 T. butter
> 3 T. flour
> 1/2 c. Lebkuchen, broken in bits, or stale gingerbread, or crushed
> gingersnaps
> 1/4 c. raisins or currants
>
> Wash and dry the meat. Place in a deep bowl, cover with the buttermilk
> and lemon juice, and marinate in refrigerator 2 days, turning several
> times. Remove; wash off the buttermilk. Place meat in a pot or kettle,
> add the red wine, water, salt, bay leaf, peppercorns, and vinegar. Cook,
> covered, 2½-3 hours or until very tender. Remove meat. Strain the stock,
> measuring 3 cups. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in flour, them
> slowly stir in the stock, simmer until slightly thickened. Add the
> Lebkuchen, gingerbread, or gingersnaps and the raisins or currants, cook
> until sauce is thickened. Add sugar to taste, if desired. Makes about 10
> servings. (Notes: I started making this with pork about 10 years ago
> when I belatedly realized that you *could* make it with pork. Even
> though it was right in front of my
> face every time I read the recipe it somehow never registered - I guess
> because I had always thought of sauerbraten as a beef dish. Well, I like
> beef but I *love* pork so I switched and have never looked back.
> I don't bother with the raisins - I like them in many things but they
> don't appeal to me in this recipe.)
>
> HIMMEL UND ERDE
> (“Heaven and Earth”, a Rhineland Specialty)
>
> 4 lg. potatoes, peeled and cubed
> 3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
> salt and sugar to taste
> butter
> blood sausage (optional)
>
> Cook potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes. Drain, add apples, and
> cook until tender. Mash, season with salt, sugar, and butter. The blood
> sausage is sliced, fried in a little fat and served over the
> potato-apple mixture. Makes 4 servings. Note: Leftover Himmel und Erde
> can be made into delicious potato cakes. Form into patties with a spoon,
> shape between palms of hands, fry in butter. With Onion: Omit blood
> sausage, fry onions separately in butter or schmalz, serve as a topping
> for the potato-apple puree. With bacon: Fry bacon until crisp. Serve
> Himmel und Erde topped with crisp bacon and a little of the bacon
> drippings.
>
> Notes: I cook the potatoes as I normally would for mashed potatoes. I
> cook the apples separately in the microwave until soft enough to be
> mashed. I mashed them coarsely with a fork . When the potatoes are done
> I drain them and return them to the pot and add lots of butter and start
> to mash them with the mixer. When they are partly mashed I add the still
> warm apples and continue mashing until they are blended. I do not add
> any sugar as I always use MacIntosh apples and they are plenty sweet.
> The sugar might be advisable with tarter apples. I have never tried any
> of the other serving options at the end of the recipe but they sound
> really good - especially the bacon version.
>
> BOHNEN UND SPECK
>
> I don't have this on on the computer but it's basically
> cooked green beans tossed with a bacon dressing similar to that used
> for German Potato Salad. Dice up some bacon, brown it. Cook some
> onions in the bacon fat. Add some flour to the bacon fat and cook it
> to make a roux then add some cooking water from the beans and some
> vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the
> hot beans.
>
> Kate
>
I'm going to have to keep this recipe and method. I've never been a fan
of Saurbraten but it was a favorite of my ex-husband. He's retired now
so he might like the recipe to try for himself. Thanks!