Juicy, tender and irresistible and no longer reserved for the head of the municipality.
Braising beef exclusively in red wine is really not a new invention. But as long as this dish may have been around, it has been pleasing the palates of those who have had the pleasure of tasting it. The good cuts of beef, which include not only the tenderloin but also the so-called mayor's piece (or pastor's piece), are now freely available and not just reserved for dignitaries and community leaders.
The mayor's (tail of rump) piece looks like a shark's fin and lies above the ball of the leg of beef. It consists mainly of muscle meat and is therefore very tender and particularly crumbly after braising, it literally falls apart.
My recipe is somewhat similar in taste to Franconian "Sauerbraten" and it goes well with Spaetzle as well as potato or bread dumplings.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 1 kg parred tail of rump, well hung
- 1 l good red wine (I like to use a Franconian "Regent")
- 3-4 stalks of celery
- 2-3 large carrots
- 1 large onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1-2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
- 3-4 sprigs thyme, fresh (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 50 gr butter
- oil for frying
- pepper, salt
- some cornstarch to thicken
- optionally some cream
Preparation:
First remove all the flax from the tail of rump and cut it into 6-8 large pieces. Then wash and clean the vegetables and cut into cubes. Do the same with the onion.
Heat the oil in a casserole or cast iron pot and brown the pieces of meat well in batches. When all the pieces have been browned, put them aside on a plate and now fry the vegetables, garlic, onion pieces and herbs briefly in the same fat. Now add the butter and sugar and put the pieces of meat back into the pot. Pour in all the red wine (the meat should be covered with wine) and season with 1 tsp salt and some pepper. Reduce the heat until the meat is simmering (braising) with the lid closed.
Check on the meat from time to time, it should braise for at least 1.5h - 2h. As soon as the meat is almost falling apart, it is ready. Now carefully lift the pieces of meat onto a plate and pour the sauce through a sieve. Put the red wine sauce back on the cooker and bring to the boil with the tomato paste and a dash of cream. Season again. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes and then thicken it with cornflour to the desired thickness.
Now you can put the meat into the sauce and let it simmer for a while (close the lid completely).
If you cooked the dish the day before, even better, you don't have to let the meat simmer again after adding it to the hot sauce. It will then be left to marinate for a whole night.
By the way, it is advisable to cook this dish the night before. It tastes much better when it is well done.
I hope you enjoy cooking and especially eating it!
xx Dipika
Comments