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Everything posted by ludja
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Thanks, sparrowgrass! This was quite funny. One of my favorite lines:
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Daniel, where have you been hiding??? ← Daniel's generous and inspirational participation in this thread and others is missed!
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Thank you very much for posting this, bigbear. It looks like a very interesting recipe--lots of ingredients that I haven't seen together before. I looked up one of the ingredients that I was not familiar with, the "faves" or "habas". The translation I came up with is "broad beans". You mention this as a canned item. Would the can be labeled as "faves" or "habas" and at what type of store would have the most luck in finding them? Would one find lupini beans in the same place; other substitutes for either of these? Thanks in advance! edited to add: My Lenten Fridays so far have not been traditional dishes, from other countries at least. So far some of the meals have been, linquine and clams, tuna fish cakes with homefries, and a side of green beans and carrots, tomato-red pepper soup with mushroom tortellini and grilled cheese sandwiches. This weekI think I may make the Austrian Kaiserschmarren dish I mentioned upthread.
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I agree very much with this sentiment. Thank you for stating it clearly and succinctly. I think this a good point to make in order for us to have an interesting and informative dialogue on this and related topics. Also, I think it is useful for anyone interested in these issues to at least look at some of the specific factors and information out there behind the rise in the types of food and portions offered at restaurants and the supermarket.
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Here is one write up summarizing the highlights of his life. Ernest Gallo
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Another way to achieve some thickening of the sauce is to dust the meat with flour before browning it. Another way to thicken and add flavor to the sauce is the route given in my adaptation of Leslie Land's recipe. Namely, simmer the roast with a mixture of chopped onions, carrots and celery. These are then removed, pureed and added back to the sauce at the end of cooking. Lastly, there is route of using a roux described in the previous post. I don't think the final gravy will or should be extremely thick; I just shoot for a nice richness and texture that will coat the meat and accompaniements like your wonderful spaetzle! edited to add: Thanks for the link to the Luchow recipe! I notice that the Luchow recipe also uses a butter-flour-sugar roux. Looking at the Luchow recipe, another variation that might result in a sauce more to your liking would be to add 1 cup of dry red wine to the marinade. Also, I think the Leslie Land recipe is different enough from the Luchow recipe that you might taste a difference as well.
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The way that Mimi Sheraton describes the thickening of the gravy is to make a roux (sauteeing butter with small amounts of flour added in). The recipe also has some sugar in there that also carmelizes to add flavor. As typival when using roux's, add it slowly into the sauce while whisking briskly. This is what Sheraton discribes in the base recipe. She says that sometimes finely crumbled ginger snaps are added for additional flavor and richness--so this is an option, not a necessity. Other thickening and flavor agents that I have seen added in to the sauce at the end besides powdered gingersnaps are crumbled lebkuchen or the rye bread crumbs I mentioned above. I guess that adding in a judicious amount of powdered ginger to the roux (especially one that had some sugar in it) would approximate the effect of the gingersnaps with respect to flavoring and thickening the gravy. Mimi Sheraton is a member of eGullet so perhaps she may weigh in!
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Any Germans out there with an opinion on Sauerbraten or what to serve with it? Besides the Americanized and German versions I can glean from cookbooks, I wonder about some of the regional and personal variations and what people eat with it?
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Also helpful would be the part of the city he'll be in, transportation options and some general preferences. There are so mnay options... Also, depending where he's traveling from, we may be able to suggest things are more unique to here or not as easily available from where he's traveling from...
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Sorry about your other plant losses to the frost. Do you normally like quince but these are just poor specimens? I started using quince a few years ago and have found some nice uses for them.
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Nice and simple! I still think I like the onions and other vegetables that one can cook with the meat to additionally flavor the gravy and then possibly puree to add into the gravy. Here is an SFgate article I found on Sauerbraten. The attached recipe is said to have descended from the Luchow recipe. In this given recipe, sour cream is blended into the gravy at the end of cooking. click Some other comments from the article:
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^I know, my mind it turning to spring ingredients with our recent warm weather out here but this discussionn is making me crave Sauerbraten! Maybe I can still squeeze it in this season! For pups224's version with vension, I'm thinking the addition of juniper berries to the marinade might be nice. Alton Brown's recipe and some others use juniper berries and this is traditionally a good flavor with game like venison.
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One correction, the recipe says: "Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours." So it is cooked in the marinade. When I made this it actually was quite sour. The amount of gingersnaps I added mostly determined the sweetness of the sauce. ← Thanks for the correction, logicalmind and apologies to you and Alton brown. Brown's recipe does indeed cook the meat in the marinade in the typical manner. I mistakenly was referencing this recipe for "Classic Sauerbraten" on epicurious in my previous post. click Good to hear that the sauce is nice and vinegary; although I'd still not be too sure about adding the 1/3 cup sugar. Thanks for your comments; I'm going back to edit my previous point to clear up some of the confusion.
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Trip Report: Northern Vietnam for Tet
ludja replied to a topic in Elsewhere in Asia/Pacific: Cooking & Baking
Thank you for the incredible report and photos, nakji. This ranks right up there with some of the best trip reports on the eGullet forums! I also can't wait to try the cucumber-pineapple salad. It sounds like it would be great with the lime-herb-fish sauce dressing. -
Major edit of the original post… I had mistakenly been looking at an Epicurious recipe instead of the Alton Brown recipe that logicalmind posted about above when I made this original post. Sorry for the confusion for those that read my original post and apologies to logicalmind and Alton Brown! I am a little surprised at the one third cup sugar added to the gravy in the Epicurious and Alton Brown recipes. It seems to me that this would add too much sweetness for my taste. Most of the recipes in my German cookbooks add little (~ 2 Tbs) or no sugar to the recipe. The Sheraton Rhineland Sauerbraten recipe also caramelizes the sugar which would add a bitter note in addition to the sweetness. A typical side dish for Sauerbraten is sweet and sour braised red cabbage and this adds a bit of sweetness to the meal as well in counterpoint to the “sauer” or ‘sour’ gravy. It’s interesting that the Alton Brown and Epicurious recipes both recommend top or bottom round as the cut of meat. Most older recipes I’ve seen recommend chuck or blade roast; fattier cuts of meat that cook up more tenderly as a pot roast. Lastly, and one of the things that I referred to in my original version of this post, the Epicurious recipe has a very unorthodox method of roasting the meat without the marinade. Per one of the recipe reviewers comments I think this cooking technique would be a recipe for dry meat; very different from traditional Sauerbraten.
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Do you mind giving the ingredients and an overview of the Luchow recipe, pup224? I don't have that book and would be curious to compare it with the recipes I have. The recipe I gave above is pretty similar to that given in the German Time Life Foods of the World volume. The Time Life recipe does not use the orange, lemon and ginger root. Another recipe and variant I'd like to try is in Mimi Sheraton's The German Cookbook. (I might skip the addition of raisins though as I prefer more of a sour rather than sweet accent in the dish.) This is a Rheinischer or Rhineland Sauerbraten The marinade she gives is: 3 cups white vinegar 3 cups water 1 lg onion, sliced 1 peeled carrot, sliced 2 bay leaves 8 cloves 8 peppercorns 1 Tbs pickling spices (Salt meat before pouring cooled marinade over it.) Brown meat in lard or rendered bacon fat; then add in 2 lg sliced onions. Cook in marinade with 1 bay leaf and 6 cloves. Her base recipe approaches the gravy in this way. Make a caramel-colored roux with 2 Tbs butter, 3 tbs flour and 2 Tbs sugar. Add this to strained gravy and season to taste with lemon juice. She then adds 1/2 cup of raisins which have been plumped in warm water. Optional add in are some tomato puree to pump up the color of the sauce or some sour cream for flavor. The latter is more common in Southern Germany and Austria. Other variations she speaks of are to add powdered ginger snap cookies at the end to thicke to the gravy. Use some dry red wine in place of some of the water or vinegar. She says that adding raisins, lemon juice and sugar in the roux are Rhineland touches but that they can be omitted for other versions. Other vegetables that you can cook with the meat besides onions are celery root and/or parsley root. (I think I'd like this.) Also, you can use a heel of rye bread rather than ginger snaps to thicken the sauce. (I may also try this next time.) I think I may try her recipe next time but omit the raisins and lemon juice, add celery root to the cooking (and eventual gravy) and try thickening with rye bread crumbs. I may use the flour-sugar-butter roux as it is not a lot of sugar and I think the caramelization may add an interesting flavor note. The Austrian in me will definately try adding sour cream to the non-raisin versions as well. I would also enjoy hearing about other's recipes and experiences!
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The beer and vinegar pot roast sounds interesting. I've made a German pot roast with bear and Belgian carbonnade but I wouldn't have thought of beer and vinegar together. Here is a recipe I've made a few times which is adapted from one given in 'Yankee New England Cookbook" by Leslie Land. Hmmm... unlike the Alton Brown version there is no sugar added. The added lemon, orange and ginger root are a bit different than some traditional recipes but I they've worked pretty well. 5 lb chunk of stewing beef (brisket or blade chuck are best but leaner bottom round will work) Marinade: 2 lg onions, thinly sliced 1 large carrot, cut in thin rounds 2 quarter-sized pieces of fresh ginger root 2-3 thick slices of lemon, seeds removed zest of 1 small orange 10 peppercorns 3-4 healthy sprigs of thyme or 2 tsp dried 1 small bay leaf ~ 2 cups dry red wine 1 ½ cups red wine vinegar 1 cup water To Cook the Roast: Flour to dust meat 2-3 tbs rendered beef fat or neutral oil 1 cup finely chopped onion ½ cup finely chopped carrot ½ cup finely chopped celery 4-5 gingersnaps crushed to a powder salt to taste Rub non-liquid marinade ingredients onto the meat. Bring liquid marinade ingredients to a brief boil; then let cool to RT and pour over meat. If meat is not covered by ½ or 2/3 add some more wine and vinegar (at a 50:50 ratio). Marinate in fridge for a minimum of 2 days and for up to 5 days. Stir and turn meat at least once a day; more often if marinating for the shorter amount of time. Remove meat from marinade and dry surface with paper towels. Dust meat with flour and brown in Dutch oven. When browned, place chopped onion and carrot under the meat. Pour in marinade so that it covers about one third of the meat. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 3 ½ -5 hours. How long will depend on the cut of meat and the strength of the simmer; the meat should be tender but not falling apart. (Add more marinade as it cooks to keep the liquid level about the same.) Strain gravy; skim fat off of liquid gravy (I like to leave a little for flavor). Puree vegetables. Add gingersnap powder to the cooking pan and pour degreased gravy and pureed vegetables over. Stir and heat until gravy thickens; you can add more gingersnap powder to thicken it further. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. Serve with potato pancakes, spaetzle or egg noodles and braised sweet and sour red cabbage.
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Oh my, I also like my milk to be very cold; the idea of having to drink milk sitting out all morning makes me ill! As kids we had to have milk at each meal. I drink a glass of milk (ususally full or 2%) each day in addition to using it in other dishes. I recently tried organic milk for the first time and was truly surprised in the postive difference in taste and perceived richness! I did a side by side with a brand I can't remember right now and also tried Trader Joe's organic milk in comparison to regular supermarket milk. It's probably a whole other topic in and of itself but was this an eye opener for me.
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Have you figured out a graceful way to ask for this service? (I appreciate it when restaurants do this as well, but I haven't found many places that offer the service.) Thanks in advance!
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How different is "eye of round" from "top round"? I think it is just part of the "round cut" and can be used for the dishes described below., This is a the cut of beef for making "meat rouladen" (Fleischrouladen or Rindrouladen) a German/Austrian dish. The meat is sliced into thin cutlets, then pounded thinner to about a 1/4 inch thick. You make a "rouladen" or roll in which you typically put a slice of bacon (adds fat and flaovr), +/- mustard, salt and pepper, sliced onions and a semi-sweet gherkin. You start cooking the rouladen in a very little bit of stock or water at low heat letting them brown a little bit but always adding more water. You want to generate a little browing here. If they brown too much they will get tough. Then you add a bit more water and stock, cover and cook over low heat for a good 1 1/2 hours or two until very tender. (Check every once and awhile to make sure you are not running out of liquid.) At the end, you remove the rouladen, deglaze the pan with stock and add a little butter and flour to thicken the gravy. (Another option is then to add some sour cream and anchovy paste to the sauce.) These are absolutely delicious and very tender when cooked correctly. They reheat very well also. I just save the deglazed meat juices and thicken the sauce before serving. (Traditional and wonderful accompaniements are bread dumplings and cooked red cabbage). You do need to start off with thin slices of meat (~ 1/4 inch thick); I usually buy them at my German butcher but they may also be sold as cuts for the related family of Italian beef roll recipes which I haven't made--braciole. Maybe one can slice the meat at home with a slicer and slightly frozen meat? Some old American cookbooks call these "beef birds"
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I also like to add parboiled slices of asparagus to avogolemno soup. The contrasting color and crunch with the lemony soup is fabulous. A quick and easy pantry dish to use up some "extra" spears of asparagus.
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Here's some more discussion of this dish on an older thread: click I've never cooked with dried fava beans but I'm inspired by this thread. The Foul Mudammas sounds like an interesting savory breakfast option.
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Is that more like April, May, in Scotland? Also, are the typical offerings green, as opposed to white, asparagus? I guess that white asparagus are most popular in Germnay and Spain, perhaps? Some other information regarding asparagus production and export from Wikipedia: click
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Has anyone had this dish? It sounds incredible! Here is another brief overview of food in the region: click
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What a wondeful and personal intros to the food of Le Marche! Thank you everyone. Recipes for dishes attributed to Le Marche can be found on Cibo Che Passione Bean soup "Zuppa di fagioli" Cheese Pizza "Pizza al formaggio" Chick pea soup "Minestra di ceci" Chicken breasts with truffle "Petti di pollo trifolati" Chicken in potacchio Ancona style "Pollo in potacchio all'anconetana" Courgettes with pancetta "Zucchine al guanciale" Dried cod fish in potacchio Drunken tuna Marches style "Tonno briaco alla marchigiana" Fish soup Ancona style "Brodetto all'anconetana" Frustingolo Marches style "Frustingolo marchigiano" Macaroni Pesaro style "Maccheroni alla Pesarese" Meat passatelli soup "Passatelli di carne" Peas in Bardino style "Piselli in Bardino" Rabbit in porchetta "Coniglio in porchetta" Red mullet Ancona style "Triglie all'anconetana" Roast mussels "Muscioli arrosto" Sea bream Ancona style "Orate all'anconetana" Small dried fruit and nut cakes "Beccùte" Stew Marches style "Umido alla marchigiana" Stuffed olives "Olive ripiene" Vincisgrassi (lasagna of Le Marche made with ground pork, mushrooms, tomato and bechamel sauce and topped with local truffles) The roasted mussels sound particularly delicious. The mussels are baked in the oven after being covered with a stuffing of finely chopped proscuitto, pureed tomatoes, parsley and breadcrumbs. Some info on liquid refreshments in Le Marche: click