Festliches Altweibersommerabendessen

[muckefuck]

Der Speiseplan

1. Sauerbraten (auf nichtrheinische Art)
2. Rotkohl/Blaukraut mit Rotweinessig
3. SpätzleKelche mit Butter und Mohnsamen
4. Spinatsauté

Die Speiserealität

Nothing came out quite as I'd intended. The Sauerbraten was good and flavourful--as one would expect after a week in the marinade. But the Zirbenschnaps I added for that special touch of pine? Nonexistent, despite the fact there was a healthy schuss in both the marinade and its reduction. Oh, well, at least the juniper berries did their thing.

As for that reduction, it was one note and that note was sour, or I should say *SOUR*. For a change I decided not to use gingersnaps to thicken, only heels of rye bread as suggested by Mimi, and no sugar. (Thus the "nichtrheinische".) A mistake. When we rewarmed it tonight, I added a spoonful of brown sugar and monshu thought that brought the balance he'd missed on Sunday. (I didn't have any because I was worried that much acetic acid on top of tom kha would give me sour stomach.)

I made the opposite error with the red cabbage by having the red wine be Catalan and fortified. Banyuls vinegar has many uses, but giving Rotkohl its distinctive tang is not one of them. monshu complained this dish was "bland". I didn't want to make it more vinegary (I mean, just because you can't taste it doesn't mean it isn't there) so instead I stirred in a couple dollops of rosehip jelly, figuring at least sweetness is a kind of character. Paradoxically, he found it both sweeter and more sour than it had been on Sunday.

As for the campanelle, I'm not sure what possessed the Old Man to substitute straightforward durum wheat pasta for Spätzle; all they really have in common is that they're boiled. Plain egg noodles would've been a better choice. bunj told me he would've picked up some of the real deal at (where else?) Family Fruit if he'd only known, but who knew we wouldn't find Maggi at Dominick's? Next time, we'll plan ahead and stock up!

Comments

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Altweibersommer! That's a term I hadn't heard before. Thanks for adding it to my vocabulary.