Vigil sauce

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 200 g carrot(s)
• 200 g parsley root(s)
• 200 g celery
• 80 g prunes
• 60 g butter
• 1 piece(s) sauce cake
• 80 g raisins, soaked
• 100 g beet syrup
• 1 tbsp salt
• Sauce thickener
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

sweet and savory sauce for holiday meals, according to grandma’s recipe

Peel the carrots, parsley roots, and celery and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then boil them with the prunes in 2 liters of water over medium heat for 10 minutes. Cut the gravy cake into small pieces and add it to the vegetables along with the butter and salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes. If the gravy cake hasn’t already fallen apart, mash it with a fork on the side of the pan. Drain the raisins and add them to the sauce along with the sugar beet syrup. Stir in and bring the sauce to a boil. Since this should be quite creamy, add a sauce thickener or roux (according to the package instructions). Add the lemon juice and simmer for another 10 minutes. The sauce is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, and sausages (Wiener, Bockwurst, Knacker). The sausages are cooked in the sauce for the last 5 minutes. My grandma and mom recommend making the sauce a few hours in advance, or even the night before, and then reheating it before serving and seasoning it if necessary. It tastes even better that way.