Germans from Russia - Schwäbisches Fleisch

Germans from Russia - Schwäbisches Fleisch

This recipe comes from Küche Kochen, published by The American Historical Society of Germans From Russia International (1973). It was contributed by Mrs. John Wilhelm of Greeley, Colorado, whose family hailed from Colony Frank, which was on the east bank of the Medveditsa river in the Saratov Province of the Lower Wolga region.

The editors of the book (or the contributors of the recipe) call it "Swiss" Steak, but I believe that is a misnomer, as the translation is actually "Swabian." This is only a guess based on intuition, but I also suspect that this recipe is one that is directly from Germany, with very little influence from Russia or America. It seems - to me - to be a little too "elaborate" for the typical German-from-Russia family, unless it is for a special occasion such as a holiday or important family event. I could be wrong about this, but that's my impression."

Anyway, it looks good - really good; in fact, I think it might even be better with venison, but I would like to try it either way. Having said that, the term "fleisch" might actually refer to almost any meat, and I think that this recipe describes a method more than a specific set of instructions for a specific set of ingredients. I made something that seemed very similar once, with a pork roast rather than beef steaks; it used capers, rather than gherkins, but other than that and a couple of other minor differences, it was nearly identical in concept. That recipe was from Austria, but I wouldn't be surprised if the origins were similar.

Schwäbisches Fleisch "Swiss" Steak To serve 6: 6 thin slices of steak Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup concentrated bouillon 1 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon lemon peel, shredded 2 gherkins, chopped 2 Tablespoons parsley 1 Tablespoon onion, chopped Brush the steaks with drippings and season well with salt and pepper. Broil quickly until browned but still quite rare. Pour the drippings from the broiler into a stew pan; add 1 tablespoon chopped onion. Work 1 tablespoon of flour into a small amount of fat; blend this mixture into the bouillon and add to the drippings. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients. Arrange the steaks in this sauce; cover and simmer until steaks are tender.