Authentic Gaisburger Marsch
The famous stew from the Gaisburg suburb of Stuttgart, Germany, Gaisburger Marsch is a traditional stew that encapsulates everything that is delicious about Swabian cuisine. Tender beef, Spätzle, and potatoes in a luxuriously rich broth and topped with onions caramelized in butter. It just doesn't get any better!
Ingredients
- 2-3 beef marrow bones (optional, see instructions below for using beef broth instead)
- 10 cups water (**or beef broth) (**if omitting the bones use 8-9 cups quality beef broth instead. You're using less broth than water because about 2 cups of the water will evaporate from the long simmer time.)
- 1 large leek , roughly chopped and thoroughly washed and drained (leek collects a lot of dirt inside of its leaves)
- 1/2 small celeriac , roughly chopped (outer skin peeled/discarded)
- 2 large carrots , roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow onion , roughly chopped
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley , clean and leave the sprigs whole
- 3 cloves garlic , cut in half
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 pounds stewing beef , diced (OR 1 3/4 pounds beef short ribs or beef shank. See NOTE below for instructions.)
- 2 pounds firm, waxy potatoes (e.g., Yukon Gold), diced
- 4 cups homemade Spätzle
- or 4 cups cooked store-bought Spätzle (cooked according to package instructions)
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley plus extra for garnish
- For the Caramelized Onions:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow onions , halved and cut into thin strips
- a pinch of salt and sugar
Instructions
- Roast the Bones (if you are omitting the bones skip to the next step): Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lay the beef marrow bones on a lined baking sheet. Roast the bones for 25-30 minutes or until they're nicely browned.
- Make the Broth: Place the roasted bones in 10 cups of water in a heavy stock pot (if omitting the bones use 10 cups of beef broth). Add the vegetables and parsley along with the bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic, and dried herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any brown foam that forms. (If you're not using the bones and are using beef broth instead, reduce the heat to medium instead of low and simmer for 40 minutes).
- Caramelize the Onions: While the broth is simmering, melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent. Add a small pinch of salt and a small pinch of sugar and continue to cook the onions, stirring every few minutes, for at least another 30 minutes until nicely browned. As the onions turn more brown and begin sticking to the pan, reduce the heat to medium. Add a little more butter if needed. Set aside until ready to use. Note: You can make these in advance and keep them covered in a bowl in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Once the broth is done, pour it into a large bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Clean out the pot and return the strained broth to the pot. Add the beef, potatoes, salt and pepper to the broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the beef is tender.Add the Spaetzle and parsley and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the Gaisburger Marsch into bowls and top with some of the caramelized onions. Garnish with some chopped parsley. This soup makes great leftovers and tastes even better the next day.
Notes
There are two different ways you can introduce the beef to the stew: 1) Add the diced stewing beef in Step 4 with the potatoes or 2) Use beef short ribs or beef shank and add it to the pot in Step 1 with the water and broth ingredients. After the 2 hours of slow simmering, remove the short ribs, transfer to a plate, remove all the meat, and dice it. Add the beef back to the stew during the final step along with the Spätzle after the potatoes are tender.
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