The wines: Trossen Riesling with the dumplings in broth with and Trossen Rot and Pinot Noir Pur’us (Pur’us have no intervention at all, no sulphur etc, and are unfined and unfiltered. The Purellus Pur’us Pet Nat is amazing!) with the main. Rita and Rudolf Trossen are wonderful small producers in Kinhein-Kindel (middle-Mosel). They have been biodynamic since 1978. We met them on that trip not so long ago, and the wines are now available in Alberta—so happy about that. We found at Color deVino. Menu is for 4-6 people.
Knödeln (bread dumplings) in Speck Broth
Adapted from a recipe found at Cooks Illustrated.
Broth
| 4 cups | chicken broth (home-made or low sodium version of store bought) |
| 1 | onion, halved |
| 4 slices | speck, chopped fine |
| 5 | parsley stems |
| kosher or sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper |
Combine the chicken broth, onion, speck, and parsley in small saucepan and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. (Broth can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) Return broth to now-empty saucepan, cover, and keep warm over low heat. Season to taste.
Dumplings
| 6 slices | hearty white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch pieces |
| 1 T | unsalted butter |
| 1 | small onion, chopped fine |
| 4 slices | speck, chopped fine |
| kosher or sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper | |
| ⅛ t | pepper |
| pinch | nutmeg |
| ¾ c | whole milk |
| 2 | large eggs |
| 2 T | minced fresh chives |
| 2 T | minced fresh parsley |
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread bread in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until dried and crisp throughout, about 45 minutes; let bread cool completely. Or, leave the bread out on a counter for a few days. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, speck, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds; let cool slightly.
Whisk milk and eggs in large bowl until well combined. Stir in the bread, onion mixture, and half the chives and parsley until well combned. Stir occasionally, and let the bread mixture sit until softened and the liquid is taken up.
Dampen your hands. Pack the bread mixture firmly into rounded 2 tablespoon–sized dumplings (about 18 dumplings) and transfer to a large plate. (Dumplings can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt, then carefully drop dumplings into water and simmer gently until tender and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to paper towel–lined plate and let drain briefly.
To serve: Transfer dumplings to individual bowls, spoon warm broth over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives and 1 tablespoon parsley.
Sauerbraten (braised spiced beef)
Adapted from a recipe found on germanfoods.org
| approx. 1 kg | beef chuck eye roll (or equivalent) |
| kosher or sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper | |
| 1 | large onion |
| 1 | carrot |
| ½ c | red wine vinegar |
| ½ c | beef stock |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 1 | clove |
| 1 t | peppercorns |
| a few | juniper berries |
| 1 T | honey or sugar beet syrup (optional) |
| 2 oz | raisins (optional) |
| pinch cayenne pepper (optional) |
Rinse beef, pat dry, season with salt and pepper and place into a Dutch oven. Dice the onion and carrot. Heat vinegar and broth in a pot. Add carrots, onions, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and juniper berries, bring to a boil, and take off the heat. When it is cool, pour over the meat. Marinate the meat covered for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Take the roast from the marinade, pat dry and brown on all sides (preferably in a cast iron pan). Place it back in the Dutch oven with the marinade and cook for approximately 1-1½ hours covered.
Remove roast to a plate to rest. Pass the sauce through a sieve, discard the bits and pour the remaining liquid into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce by at least 1/3. Check seasoning, add syrup or honey, cayenne and raisins if using. Cut roast into slices and serve as desired with the braised cabbage and roast sprouts.
Braised Spiced Red Cabbage
| 1 T | butter or oil |
| 1 | small head red cabbage quartered, cored and thinly sliced |
| 1 | large tart apple (we used Honey Crisp), cored and chopped |
| half | medium onion, sliced |
| kosher or sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper | |
| ¼ c | dry red wine |
| ¼ c | red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar |
| 1 t | ground cinnamon |
| ½ t | ground cloves |
| 1 t | brown sugar |
| 1 c | water |
Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the cabbage, onions and apples. Stir to coat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until cabbage is tender, about 40 minutes. If there is too much liquid, remove the lid and allow some to evaporate. The cabbage should be very moist, but not soupy. Check for seasoning and serve immediately or keep warm over low heat.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic
| 16-20 | Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cored and cut in half |
| drizzle | olive oil |
| squeeze | lemon juice |
| 8 | garlic cloves |
| kosher or sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper |
Toss sprouts with a bit of oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the whole garlic cloves. Place on a sheet pan and roast in a hot oven (400) until the sprouts and cloves are browned (even a bit charred) and tender, about 20-30 minutes