Klöße mit Rinderbraten und Sauerkraut
Dumplings with roast beef and sauerkraut
This recipe is my grandmothers Sunday stable, when she was a child her mother and grandmother used to prepare this meal every Sunday and as she moved out she carried on with this tradition and now passed it on to me.
Since my grandmothers comes from Silesia, a region which used to be German and belongs now to Poland, this recipe does not represent German dumplings as they are different and also differ slightly from region to region.
the stock/broth:
“greens” (carrots, parsley, celery, leek)
a piece of garlic (or an onion) larded with some cloves
one star-anise (this is optional and an addition I made)
Bones preferably with some meat on it, like a piece of the leg or rips
at the end of the boiling-process I add some salt
put all these ingredients in cold water and put it on to boil for about one or more hours, the longer it boils the more intense the flavor will be.
You can add to the stock/broth whatever you feel belongs in it. I usually add whatever I have at the moment and leave out whatever I forgot to buy. Creativity is the key to success.
The meat
again, you can take whatever type of meat you prefer. My grandmother used to do that recipe with pork but since I became Muslim she changed the recipe.
When you have put the stock to boil, wash the meat and marinate it with mustard, salt and pepper. Optional you can lard it with some cloves.
Cover the meat with some foil and put it back into the refrigerator until the broth is finished.
(the broth can never cook long enough, but after about one hour it should be ready to use)
Take the meat and sear it until it gets a brown golden color, pour a bit of broth into the pan etc. to stop the frying process. Put the meat with the pan in the preheated oven at about 200° (the temperature depends also on how much time you have, for example today I have two hours, so I think 150° are enough). Pour some broth over the meat from time to time and turn the meat. Let it stew for about 1 hour or more until the meat gets soft.
Take the meat out of the sauce and cover it with some aluminum foil while u finish the sauce by thickening it with some sauce binder/thickener.
The dumplings
As soon as you have put the meat in the oven, put on water to boil for the potatoes.
The potatoes should be mealy/floury, this is very important!!!
When the potatoes are ready, peel them and smash them with a ricer. Add a a hint of nutmeg and salt as much as you like, I prefer a lot :)
now keep adding flour and work it together until you reach the correct consistence, it should not be sticky or wet and not to try. This part is rather tricky since I have no fixed amount and the amount of flour needed depends also on the consistency of the potatoes.
Form the mass into little balls and place them in water that has just began to boil. As soon as the dumplings are in the water, turn down the heat and stir slightly to make sure the dumplings don't stick to the bottom of the jar.
Turn up the heat again but make sure that the water doesn't start to boil.
The dumplings are ready when the start swimming on the surface.
The sauerkraut
Prepare it according to the instructions on the packaging. If you feel it is to sour for your taste, boil it with a little bit of water, pour the water away and add some butter. Stir and serve.
You can replace the sauerkraut with any vegetables you want, like for example red cabbage or Brussels sprouts which are both very typical for German cuisine.
It tastes amazing if you cut the cold dumplings in slices and fry them in oil and butter and serve them with the warmed up sauce and whatever is left from the meal.
So that's why I always try to prepare some extra.
