Sauerbraten

By MaryEllen

Pickled flavors and hearty meats are as quintessentially German as Volkswagen and Oktoberfest. Just ask 12-time traveler Irmgard Castelluci from Cantonment, Florida. She was born in Mainz, on the bank Rhine River, and she grew up enjoying the local staples—including sauerbraten, a beef and vinegar dish that’s about as German as it gets.

She was kind enough to share her recipe with us, noting that she can still “remember the aroma that came from the kitchen when my mother cooked sauerbraten.” One bite will transport you to the Old World, where you’re bound to hear yourself exclaim “schmeckt gut!” (“tastes good!”).

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds beef, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 cups water

Preparation

Step 1

Place the beef in a large bowl.
Mix the remaining ingredients together separately, then pour the mixture over the beef and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Let the beef marinate in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, turning the beef often.
Pour a small amount of olive oil into a Dutch oven and brown the beef on all sides.
Pour some of the remaining marinade over the beef and cook over low heat for about two hours, adding more marinade or water as need.
When beef is tender, remove it from the Dutch oven. Strain the leftover juice, return it to the pot, and thicken it with cornstarch to make a sauce.
Serve the beef and sauce over pasta.