German food

German restaurants are still popular in other parts of the country, but we don't see the old-fashioned ones in Seattle anymore. You have to go over the mountains to the faux German "village" of Leavenworth to find them.
Some of these restaurants offer "continental cuisine" along with traditional dishes like wienerschnitzel and rouladen. German food is heavy and bland for the Thai food generation, and other than sausage and sauerkraut, most people don't know what it is. Plus there are so many other international restaurants in Seattle competing for our dining dollar.

I bring this up, because I was in a weird mood to eat sauerbraten this week. My German grandmother made it, and it was memorable because it looked like roast beef, but tasted so unusual. My first paying job (age 13) was as a pot washer at a Swiss restaurant on Ute Pass, outside Woodland Park, Colorado. During the evening dinner service, while I was washing dishes, the tough old lady proprietress would serve her skinny husband a big plate of sauerbraten with salad in the kitchen, and we watched him eat. I remember my mouth watering. She didn't whack us with a wooden spoon, but she ruled her kitchen with an iron hand, and there was NO tasting! That sounds like an "Oliver Twist" story, but that's how it was in those days. The man was the king of the castle.

To make sauerbraten, a tough piece of beef is marinated in a crock with red vinegar, onions, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves. Then the meat is drained, seared, and cooked in the vinegar marinade like any pot roast until fork tender. The result is tangy, soft and delicious served with boiled red potatoes or noodles.

My 1967 Betty Crocker cookbook has a recipe for sauerbraten, so it must have been a mainstream dish back then. It includes a finish for a strange "gingersnap gravy" which I could never bring myself to make. I was tempted to tinker with the marinade and add red wine and garlic, but left it alone. I'll spare you a string of pictures on how to prepare sauerbraten (not pretty) but if you're burning to make it, let me know and I'll send the recipe.

The million dollar question was, would John eat it? I put some Wagner on the stereo, to get him in the mood. It was a dark, cold and TEUTONIC evening in Seattle. Perfect for a heavy dinner. The verdict? He liked it! His only complaint was no home-made spaetzle. And won't the shop smell interesting when he heats up his lunch tomorrow?