What is BaeckeOffe?
BaeckeOffe is a traditional meal from the region of France known as Alsace, which is really a mixture of French and German cultures. Food is a type of stew with three types of meat, along with potatoes and forms most of the ingredients. Spices and other vegetables are added to meat and potatoes in a ceramic bowl that is covered and sealed with the type of basic dough known as a rope. The taste of BaeckeOffe comes from marinating meat and vegetables overnight in a mixture of spices and white wine. After a few hours of baking, BaeckeOffe is removed from the oven, the dough is open and served hot, sometimes with crispy bread. The beginnings of the bowl in the Alsat region are rooted in practices on certain days of the week - whether religious observations or general work - that prevented people from cooking dinner for their families. Inspec, Baeckeoff, was prepared the night before and then taken to the local baker. At the end of the day, Baker would put the bowl in the oven at the bakery and let the residual heat out of the cooling furnace cook food. The following den, after work or church, the fully cooked goulash will be lifted and ready for dinner.
The main ingredient in Baeckeoff is a combination of meat, traditionally pieces of beef, pork and lamb. They are prepared in the marinade of dry white wine, usually pouring from German grapes that are grown in Alsace. Vegetables can also be marinated, although potatoes are usually not. Spices such as bay leaves, thyme and fresh parsley are also included in the marinade and everything is left to sit overnight.
Vegetables in a bowl may vary from recipe for recipe, but usually include late season vegetables. Pore, carrots and onion are traditional, although items such as turnouts, mushrooms and spinach can be used. Once everything is marinated, the potatoes are cut into discs and layered at the bottom of cooking, followed by meat, vegetables and top layers of potato slices. The white wine is poured into the pot until it overlaps inThe shoe and the lid with the steam opening is located at the top.
The lid is sealed in the pan with a rope dough. This dough is just flour, water and some oil that was pressed around the seam, where the lid meets with baking. The tight seal that the dough creates, while BaeckeOffe cooks for many hours, prevents excessive fluid leakage and maintains moist stew. Once the bowl is finished, the dough is cracked with a knife and the steamed meat is served hot bread.