We have a giant map of the world in our family room, with pins to mark the hometowns of the international students who stay with us: Oslo, Norway; Tübingen, Germany; and starting this month, the Cote d’Azur in France.
The student from Norway came with paper-thin slices of chocolate, which she encouraged us to put on toast. My daughters accepted her immediately.
The student from Tübingen was 20 years old, a microbiologist and avid runner who baked her own bread. When she baby-sat on pizza night, my older daughter whispered to me, “Mommy, she made the dough.” I decided maybe I should be a little more discreet in the future when removing pizza dough from its plastic bag.
When she left, this student presented me with a German cookbook. I’ve been paging through it, inspired at every page. The meals could have come straight from some nice bubbe’s kitchen. Well, not my bubbe. She was Polish and not a very good cook. But I recognize these dishes as dovetailing with our German Jewish roots.
The Rhineland-Style Sauerbraten with Raisin Gravy jumped out at me because it seemed so much like a Jewish brisket, so I decided to make it. The wine-based sauce is laced with raisins, which we don’t often see outside of kugel. This recipe requires marinating for four days, so plan in advance.
Rhineland-Style Brisket with Raisin Gravy
Adapted from “The New German Cookbook” by Jean Anderson and Hedy Würz
Serves 8-10
Marinade
1 bottle dry red wine (preferably German)
1 cup water
3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
12 whole peppercorns
8 whole cloves
Sauerbraten
5-lb. brisket
¼ cup minced parsley
2-3 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup flour
3 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. tomato paste
¼ cup dry sherry
1 cup raisins
1-2 Tbs. red currant jelly or orange marmalade (optional)
1 Tbs. cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbs. cold water until dissolved
In a medium saucepan, combine all marinade ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Place brisket in a large, heatproof container. Pour hot marinade over brisket and cool to room temperature. Add parsley. Turn to coat. Marinate covered and refrigerated, for 4 days, turning once a day.
When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade and reserve the liquids in one bowl and the solids in another. Season brisket generously with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour to coat. Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a large pan. Brown brisket on both sides over medium heat, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to slow cooker.
Wipe pan clean of drippings and burnt pieces. Add remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the pan. Add carrots and onions, along with reserved solids from the marinade. Sauté 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker. Add tomato paste and 2 cups of the reserved marinade to slow cooker. Cook on high in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours depending on the thickness of brisket and strength of your slow cooker. Turn once during cooking.
When tender, remove brisket, let rest 10 minutes and slice thinly across the grain. Meanwhile, strain sauce, discard solids, and skim as much fat from sauce as possible. Return sauce to the stovetop. Add sherry and raisins. Bring to a boil and simmer robustly for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is reduced by half. Stir in jelly or marmalade to sweeten sauce. Stir in cornstarch slurry. Simmer over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened. Smother sliced brisket with sauce and serve, preferably with your favorite potato kugel.
Josie A.G. Shapiro is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.