Austro-German Boiled Beef: Tafelspitz

This dish has a strong tie to Vienna, but it is well known in other parts of Austria and Germany, especially in Bavaria. In German, "Tafelspitz" literally means "table tip or point," presumably because of its shape (see photos below). "Spitz" means "point or tip" in German, and it is closely related to English "spit," not the saliva meaning, but rather, "a pointed rod used for cooking meat;" that is, a type of "skewer." While in more recent times some may use various cuts of beef, the dish seemingly originated by the use of what in the U.S. is called a tri-tip, or triangle roast, which is still the traditional choice for this dish; in fact, the name "Tafelspitz" is also used for that specific cut of beef in German, although, as in just about all things German having to do with food, there are regional names like, "Hüferschwanz," "Hiefelschwanzl," "Pastorenstück." Because the slow simmering of the beef drains much of the flavor from the vegetables, when the meat is done, it is best to strain the broth and discard the vegetables, then cook fresh vegetables in the broth for serving with the beef. Celeriac (celery root) is pretty easily found these days in many supermarkets or produce shops, or you can use parsnips.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pound beef tri-tip/top round roast
3 large carrots, divided use
1 onion (baseball size)
1 celery root (celeriac, baseball size), peeled, or 1 or 2 parsnips, peeled
2 stalks celery (with leaves)
(optional) beef marrow bones
10 peppercorns, cracked
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)

Apple/Horseradish Salad
2 apples, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar (more if needed)
2 to 3 tablespoons horseradish (freshly grated or from a jar, but drained)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the roast into a pot, cover it with water, and add one of the carrots (washed, but it needn't be peeled). Halve the onion and peel one of the halves, then roughly chop it and add it to the pot. Add the other onion half, skin on, to the pot, along with the celery stalks (each cut into 3 pieces). If you have a couple of marrow bones, add them to the pot and toss in the peppercorns, but do not add salt at this time. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and strain the broth into another pan or large bowl. Remove the marrow bones, if using, from the strained matter, you can then discard the rest of the strained matter. Return the broth to the pot and add the remaining 2 carrots, but this time you can peel them and slice them into multiple pieces. Peel the celery root or parsnips and cut them into multiple pieces also, then add them to the pot, along with the salt. Bring the broth to a boil again and cook the vegetables until they are tender. For the apple/horseradish: grate the peeled and cored apples into a bowl (sprinkle on some lemon juice as you grate the apples; otherwise, the grated apples will begin to turn brown). When the apples are grated, add any remaining lemon juice, the sugar, the salt and the horseradish, then mix everything together well. Horseradish can lose its "zip" if it sets too long, so it's best to grate it fresh and serve the apple/horseradish alongside the meat immediately.

Slice the meat rather thinly across the grain and serve with the just cooked vegetables and the apple/horseradish salad; additionally, fried potatoes, called "Bratkartoffeln" in German, are a frequent side dish for "Tafelspitz."    

WORD HISTORY:
Claw-This word is related to "clay" and to "cleave" (the verb meaning, "to stick or cling to"), both words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "glue," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English through French. It goes back to Indo European "gleuh/gleyh," which had the notion of "stick together, adhere," with the further sense, "form into a ball." This gave Old Germanic "klawo," with the meaning, "animal foot forming a round shape or appearing to form a round shape." This gave Old English "clea," meaning "claw, nail of a claw," and then the form "clawu," with the same meanings. This then became "clawe/claue," before the modern form. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Klaue," meaning, "claw," but also secondarily, "hoof," perhaps from the split in a hoof resembling a claw? Low German "Klau" (claw), West Frisian "klau" (claw), Dutch "klauw" (claw), Swedish, Danish, Norwegian "klo" (claw), Icelandic "kló" (claw). The verb form seems to have come from an Old Germanic form like "klaujanan" (?), which gave Old English "clawian" (to claw or scratch), with relative German "klauen" having somewhat more extensive meanings like, "to steal," in the sense, 'to snatch away, to swipe,' seemingly from the notion of birds of prey swooping down and using their claws to snatch up small animals or birds, but also meaning simply, "to seize, to grab," and further, "to crawl (like a crab)," seemingly from the idea of the crab having claws and their moving like a crawl. Verb forms in Low German (klouwen) and Dutch (clouwen) are now archaic. 

Horseradish Sauce

This is a recipe for American style "horseradish sauce," which is often used to accompany prime rib and roast beef.

Horseradish Sauce:

2/3 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
4 to 5 tablespoons horseradish, drained
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Put all ingredients into a bowl and stir to mix well. Refrigerate.

WORD HISTORY: 
Vegetarian-This word is derived from "vegetable." I did the history of the word "vegetable" earlier, and here is the link to that article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-kitchen-sink-veggie-drink.html  "Vegetarian" was formed in English circa 1840, but it took a few years to become more widespread, helped along by the founding of the Vegetarian Society in the second half of the 1840s in Britain. The main body of the word "vegetable" was coupled with the ending "arian," which was used to show the name for a person from some countries or regions (example: "Bulgarian"), or to denote the practice or support of some activity (example: parliamentarian) or for a person who practices or supports a certain belief (example: Presbyterian). It was derived from the Latin suffix "arius," which was used to form adjectives or nouns to show, "of, from, belonging to." "Vegetarian" was borrowed from English by German in the second half of the 1800s as "Vegetarianer," but this was altered in German in the 20th Century to "Vegetarier." 

German Beet Salad: Rote Bete Salat mit Meerrettich

Germans typically boil the beets, but the flavor is far better if you roast them.* Also, fresh horseradish generally gives this dish a bit more zip, but prepared horseradish from a jar is fine too, although try using a new jar, or one that hasn't been open more than a few days, as horseradish from a jar loses its bite the longer it has been opened.

Ingredients:

about 2 cups beets, cooked/roasted, peeled and roughly chopped
4 tablespoons onion, chopped
2 teaspoons horseradish
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, whole or grind them
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil (can use oil from roasting, plus additional)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt (may not be necessary, if using roasted beets per my link below)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cook your beets by your own preference. Put all other ingredients, except horseradish, into a pan and bring to a boil, then shut off the heat and let the mixture cool a little. You want the onion to still have a slight crunch to it. Pour the mixture over the chopped beets and let stand until just warm. Stir in the horseradish and serve slightly warm, OR, reserve the horseradish, pour the dressing over the beets, chill the mixture, THEN stir in the horseradish and serve (this is how I like it).  

* For roasted beets, here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/06/roasted-beets.html

WORD HISTORY:
Fat/Fatten-This word goes back to Indo European "pei," which meant, "to be fat. to be overly full," which  produced the form "peid/poid," which had the notion, "be well fed, to be fattened up." This gave its Old Germanic offspring the adjective "faita," meaning, "fat, bulging, plump," and this spawned the Germanic verb "faitijanan," meaning, "to fatten, to make fat," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the verb "fættian/gefættian," with the same meaning, and this later became "fatten." Its participle form was "fætt," which meant, "fatted, fattened;" thus, the adjective form. This then became "fat," where it has remained for many centuries. The noun "fat" seems simply to have been derived from the adjective in the first half of the 1300s. Common in the other Germanic languages: German has both "feist" and "fett,"^ and Low German Saxon has "fett" (noun=Fett), West Frisian "fet" (adjective and noun), Dutch "vet" (adjective and noun, the "v" is pronounced as "f"), Danish "fed" (noun="fedt"), Norwegian "fett" (noun), Icelandic "feitur" (noun=both feiti" and "fita"), Swedish "fet" (noun=fett).

^ "Feist" was the form that developed in the high dialects, as at times, "t(t)," became "z," in the high dialects, which is pronounced "ts;" and indeed, it was once spelled "feizt/feizit," but in more modern times both the pronunciation and spelling changed to "st." "Fett" was borrowed by German from Low German (remember, BOTH are from the same Old Germanic source as their English cousin). Martin Luther used both forms, which helped to spread the usage of "fett" in standard German, where its forms (noun, adjective and the derived "fettig"=fatty/greasy) are now far more commonly used, with "Feist," the noun, and "feist," the adjective, restricted in use more for large game animals. For those learning German, the noun forms are both neuter; thus, "das Feist" and "das Fett." All German nouns are capitalized, although in this age of texting and Internet posts, that is certainly not always followed. LOL, or is it, lol?

Bloody Bull (Bloody Mary)

A Bloody Bull is really just a Bloody Mary with beef broth added; well... that, and a bull having a bad day at a bullfight in Spain. "If" you don't drink alcohol, drink the mix without the vodka.

Ingredients:

46 ounce can tomato juice*
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons celery salt
2 tablespoons adobo seasoning **
2 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 cup beef broth (the low sodium type is not only fine, but better)
2 tablespoons sambal oelek/(hot) chili sauce*** (or to taste per serving****)
vodka (1 ounce per serving****)

In a large pitcher, add all of the ingredients, except the vodka. Mix well, then refrigerate for several hours, or add vodka and ice to a glass, then add the mixture.

* I use the less sodium type of juice, as the celery salt, adobo seasoning and beef broth (especially if you use bouillon, but you can use the lower sodium broth) all will add salt, but it will help, at least somewhat, to control the amount of salt.

** Adobo seasoning is a type of Puerto Rican/Latino seasoned salt, easily available in supermarkets, although perhaps in the "Hispanic/Latino Foods" section. Ingredients vary somewhat, but generally it includes, at a minimum: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, dried oregano.

*** Sambal Oelek is a chunky hot chili pepper sauce that originated in Indonesia. It should be easily found in the Asian section, or in the hot sauce section, of supermarkets. 

**** You can hold back on adding the sambal oelek and add it to each individual serving to each person's preference. I've put 1 ounce of vodka, just to keep things simple, but you can use whatever amount each person prefers.

WORD HISTORY:
Juice-The overall history of this word is a bit unclear, but it goes back to Indo European "yeus," which had the notion, "to mix." Latin had "ius," which meant, "broth, soup, juice." The question, is, where did Latin get this word. I "assumed" it had come down to Latin from some Old Italic form, which itself had been the direct offspring of Indo European. Further research has made me call this lineage into question, as Latin may well have borrowed their form, "ius," from Old Germanic, "yustas/justaz," (from the Indo European form), and English once had "wos/wós" (apparently slight dialectal differences), which meant, "juice, sap, liquid." This English word existed alongside the English word "sæp," with the same general meanings, and which became the more specific modern word, "sap." ^ Anyway, Latin "ius" then became, "jus," which passed to French in that same form, and this then was borrowed by English or merged with the English form "wos" in the 1200s, by which time the meaning as becoming the more specific, "liquid from fruits or vegetables." The related word, "jus," meaning, "reduced meat broth or meat juices, gravy," "apparently" came to English by way of American/Canadian English directly from French. It is most commonly used in the expression, "au jus," meaning literally, "with the juice;" thus, "meat served with its own juice."

^  German still uses its closely related form of the word "sap," which is "Saft," for "juice," but also for "sap" (although "Sappe" is also used for the latter); thus, for example: "Apfelsaft," "apple juice."