Dec 09 2009
Spatzle and Beef Bourgan
Spatzle , bratwurst, schnitzel, and other delicious German dishes were staples in my home growing up. This is one of my family’s classic holiday meals and it seemed quite fitting to have this German feast post-thanksgiving. The spatzele noodles are my favorite and are surprisingly easy to make if you have a potato ricer. They are a great side dish to all kinds of food and are particularly good smothered with buttery breadcrumbs. The beef bourgan is one of those dishes you can throw in the crock pot in the morning and later come home to a good-smelling house and warm meal. Who doesn’t like that? Just so you know German food MUST be eaten with sides of pickled red cabbage and canned green beans. Trust me.
Beef Bourgan
Coat 1 1/2-2 lbs of cubed beef (round steak or roast) in flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil. Remove meat from pan and brown 1 medium finely chopped onion in the pan drippings. Combine 3/4 cup red wine, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/2 cup water. Wash pan brownings with liquid to get flour and drippings loose from the pan. Place meat, onions, and liquid in the crock pot. Add 2 roughly chopped carrots, 3 cloves minced garlic, a bay leaf, and water to cover if necessary. Simmer for a long time in the crock pot (4+ hours) until meat is tender. Remove bay leaf and thicken with cornstarch if necessary. Serve with spatzle noodles.
*If you use red cooking wine instead of regular red wine don’t add any salt to the meat. Cooking wines contain more salt that regular wine.
Spatzle
Beat:
2 eggs
Combine well with:
1 1/2 coups all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Drop small bits of batter through a potato ricer or spatzle press into a pot of simmering salted water. When spatzle rises to the top of the water (usually within a minute or two) remove with a slotted spoon and place on a platter. Spatzle should be very light and delicate. Try a sample – if too heavy add a little water to the batter. Top spatzle with 1/4 bread crumbs combined with 1/2 cup melted butter.
Nathan eating bratwurst in a market in Munich, Germany!
