Wolf

If I may interject- not being expert of any kind, I would think that Tafelspitz refers to a very specific cut of meat. The way I understand it, it's a part of chuck (which- I cannot tell... not that I wouldn't if I knew exactly). It comprises of two muscles separated by a sinew running right accross the cut. I woud assume that good dishes (which are those that Austrians call Tafelspitz) exploit the pecularities of this particular cut. In my country (particularly in the region where I come from, which historically has certain culinary Austrian influences) we use that cut of meat in two principal ways- one is for beef broth, and second is for stewing (e.g. goulash, but Austrian style*). The first way produces excellent boiled beef (especially if one adds beef to the brosth when it comes to the boil, as opposed to lesser cuts of meat which are added to the pot before putting it on the stove**). The best way to eat this boiled beef is entirely personal, but in my humble opinion Tafelspitz produces most splendid beef salad, which can be enjoyed both at room temperature (in winter) or refrigerated (in summer). The recipe for this is quite simple- slice boiled beef, hardboiled eggs and onions and dress with salt, pepper, oil & vinegar. But in my humble opinions, stews utilize this meat even better- with stewing and simmering the sinew in this cut (our butchers popularly know it as 'muscle with the line') turns those pieces into small 'umami bombs'. Sinew expands, turns translucent and soft- the mouthfeel is something like a beef flavoured butter. Should anyone be interested, I could post my father's recipe for such goulash which I haven't yet seen bested in terms of flavour and savouriness. * Austrian dish called goulash is much thicker than (original) hungarian dish, but both have in common that the sauce can be thickened only with sauteed onions (as opposed to paprikash and pörkölt, which can be thickened with either cream or flour as well) ** don't let this 'old wives tale' discourage you from trying to get the best of both worlds (great broth and boiled beef) by putting the Tafelspitz in cold water- it will still be boiled to perfection this way. But this 'rule of thumb' says- beef in cold water is for better broth, in boiling broth for better boiled beef (BUUUUT, always cut the onion in half and sear the half that goes into the broth on electric plate before tossing it in)

Thanks, @Smithy. It's made at home (usually with leftover Schnitzel). Just found the alternative version, which also uses Vienna-type Schnitzel where they're simmered in white wine with parsley and garlic. A slightly more sophisticated local dish with Scnitzel are so-callet ptičice (meaning little birds) made with veal Scnitzel beaten and rolled up with a mixture of bacon fried with garlic, thyme and parsley, and diced hardboiled egg is also added to the filling. It's fastened with toothpick and browned. Once browned, they're simmered (with or without added mushrooms) in a red wine and tomato sauce for half an hour. And lest I forget... there is also Dalmatian Schnitzel, which is prepared with non-fried Schnitzel and is cooked similar to brudetto- alternating layers of Schnizzel, sliced tomato, sliced onion, and topped with diced garlic and parsley (repeat untill all the ingredients are used up*). Salt, pepper and olive oil. Cooked on stove-top for an hour or an hour and a half. Just like brudetto- the dish is never stirred while cooking; just grab the pot and shake it (without lifting it off the stove) once in a while. * I think the last layer should be onion or tomato. As an aside to this already lengthy post (I appologize for the lack of brevity)- my so called 'friday special', or properly named false brudetto, is made with sliced potatoes instead of the meat (in that case, layers start and end with potato layers) and one adds a ¾ cup of white wine to the dish.

In my country (Croatia) we have a bit of Scnitzel culture- Naturscnitzel (just the meat, no breading or anything else- as the name implies) is best served with glazed baby carrots (not the sort of baby carrots one gets in supermarkets but very young carrots) and breaded sorts like Vienna-style (dredged in flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs) and Paris-style (dredged in flour, beaten eggs and then agin in flour). What we sometimes do differently is like in case of Lika Scnitzel (Lika is mountain region of my country), is prepare them in Vienniese style and then stick them in an oven layered in marinara-like sauce (alternating layers of Scnitzels with tomato sauce, wine, garlic and parsley*) at 250°C until done and Schnitzels have absorbed most of the cooking fluids. * of course, one can also add a bit of mushrooms (like button mushrooms) to the tomato sauce to make it even more delicious.