What I Fell in Love With in Austria: Tafelspitz
·Roast the marrow bones
Rinse the meat and pat it dry. Arrange the marrow bones on a roasting tray and roast in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes.
Sauté the vegetables
While the bones are roasting, put a large pan on the heat and sauté the vegetables for the broth. Clean them and cut into smaller pieces, then sauté in butter.
Tip
Just cut the onion in half and sear it cut-side down, skin still on. Browned vegetables give the broth a beautiful colour.
Simmer
Put the raw meat, roasted marrow bones and sautéed vegetables into a large pot, cover with cold water and add the spices. Simmer until the meat is almost falling apart.
How long does it take?
I can't give you an exact time, since it depends on the meat you buy and its quality. Mine took about five hours. Keep it at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
Strain the broth
Strain the broth. I chose to serve mine as a soup with noodles and finely diced beef.
Side dish – vegetables
Slice the celery, carrot and leek. Sauté them in a little butter, seasoned with salt and pepper. The vegetables should stay fresh and crisp.
Side dish – potatoes
Peel and grate the potatoes — half finely and half coarsely. Add a coarsely grated apple (skin on is fine) and a finely grated horseradish. Season with salt and pepper. Fry until crisp in oil.
Starter
For a starter, I put the bone marrow from the soup to good use — spread over the potato-apple pancakes that I fried to go with the main course.
