It's been a hot minute since I updated anything here, but I've not been idle!
January 6th I had the pleasure of opening my home to the local Cooks Guild. We had a winter potluck and shared lots of wonderful food and a glorious few hours of snacking and chatting and community. Initially this meeting was to be scheduled mid December, but my spouse was sent to the other side of the globe for work and I wanted him to be a part of the gathering, so we pushed to after the bulk of the winter holiday craziness.
The dish I shared was my family's recipe for Sauerbraten - a preserved beef roast that is served in a gravy thickened with gingersnaps. My initial focus for my dish was to make something with beef. I had done some light research that indicated in my area of the Cheviot Hills (and probably elsewhere) that during the winter months, beef was a prominent food because many of the cattle would have been butchered so that feeding them grain wouldn't be a problem. This makes a lot of sense, use the limited grain for breads and to plant when spring returns. So a hearty beef stew! I had a couple turnips that needed to be eaten, but they just weren't inspiring.
Then on Dec 29, I was struck: it's my grandfather's birthday and I wanted his favorite meal. The problem is sauerbraten takes several days to prepare - I actually like to take 10-14 days. I did a quick google and found this article about the dish and was thrilled it is an older recipe than I thought! Sauerbraten History This gave me the perfect excuse to make and share one of my family comfort foods. The flavors are bold and the gravy rich. When asked what it is like, I really struggle to answer because it is such a unique flavor combination: pickled meat and a gravy thickened with cookies served over buttermilk mashed potatoes.
It seemed to be really well received and I love that I had the pleasure of discovering that this dish has been enjoyed for a lot longer than I thought!
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