Every two years, my friends and I visit Bavaria, Munich to be exact, to experience the largest beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest. We have been at this since 1993, and it gets better every time! Our general plan is to get to Munich on a Friday, meet up at the Hofbrauhaus, and then head out to the Oktoberfest grounds. We then spend the next 3 days drinking, singing, eating, and riding around in trains. We fly back on Tuesday and are back at the office working on Wednesday morning. This year the entrepid team will be making a short, but eventful stop in Amsterdam for a pre-party. A few of us have never been to Amsterdam, and are looking forward to a great time with our friends Barbus and Schlumberger Lady.
Our cadre has grown through the years, where in 2005 we had a record group of 17 brave souls! It started out as 5-6 guys, and one wife to keep us legal. It is now officially a coed event. Below are some good links that explain this strange phenomenon in more detail. In 2007, we had 9 brave souls who participated in the event. 2009 had 7.
Now, this year, we have 7 Oktoberfesters tripping to Munich. For the first time there is an affiliate group from Florida making the trip, as well as other potential trippers in the wings (you know who you are!)
Prost!
We also have a Blog going, which will is updated during the trip.
Learn more about me here.
This year's recipe:
Sauerbraten
In an 8-quart pressure cooker, heat oil over medium. Sprinkle meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, in batches if necessary until meat is brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove.
Off the heat, stir together wine, water, vinegar, sugar, cloves, allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add carrots, onion, garlic, gingersnaps, and raisins; stir to combine. Add meat.
Close lid of pressure cooker and place cooker over high heat. Once the pressure is up to high and the valve begins to rattle, reduce heat to medium-low (pressure will still be up, but not as high). Cook 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow pressure to come down on its own and once it has, remove lid. Transfer meat to a platter. Taste sauce for salt and season if necessary. Spoon off any fat from the top of the sauce and spoon over vegetables and meat.
Okay, so the meat in sauerbraten, a sweet and tangy German beef dish, traditionally marinates in a mix of wine, vinegar, and spices for a few days, which gives it a gamey flavor. While I could have done that, it seemed counter intuitive to make a dish using a tool to hasten it's cooking time and then marinate it for a few days. So, I decided to skip the marinating, but cut the meat into large chunks instead of leaving it in one piece. This made for greater surface area and the flavorings penetrated the meat. In case you've seen other sauerbraten recipes calling for top or bottom round, I urge you not to use it. Those lean cuts of meat do break down, but the meat becomes stringy and chalky. Use a fatty cut and you won't be disappointed.