In article >,
"Christopher M." > wrote:
> Once upon a time I ordered a dish at a fine restaurant. It was like a
> roulade of beef. Inside the beef were things like pickles and mustard, and
> maybe some sauerkraut.
>
> It was an Eastern European dish. I was told that women in Eastern Europe
> would be judged on what kind of wife they would be, based on this dish.
>
> Anyhow, I have no idea what it was. Sorry. I'm just a Pooh bear.
Beef Rouladen was a traditional dish in my youth. I have posted this
recipe a couple of times:
BEEF ROULADEN
===============
2 pounds beef round steak, cut 1/4 inch thick
dill pickles, cut into spears
onion, cut into sticks
toothpicks
fat (I use vegetable oil)
flour
Optional:
1/2 cup red wine
beef stock
1 pound carrots, cut
Have the butcher cut the meat on a slicing machine. You should end up
with about eight slices. A normal adult will eat one or two rouladen.
If you end up with more or less slices, that's fine. Cut the pickles so
you have one spear per piece of meat. The onions are a little tricky to
cut, you are going to want to roll up the meat around the pickle and
onion, so you end up with a meat roll stuffed with the pickle and onion.
The meat slices will probably be rectangular. You want the rolls short
and thick. Lay a piece of meat down in front of you, with the long
dimension going away from you. If it looks slightly triangular, it's
better to start rolling with the slightly wider part. Put down a pickle
spear and some onion on the part closest to you. Grab with both hands
and start rolling. Secure with one or two toothpicks. String works
better (buy it at a food store so you know it is safe for food), but
more work to make and to serve.
After they are all rolled, heat up a large pot and then put some oil in
it. You want to brown the rolls in a single layer, otherwise they will
release too much liquid and not brown properly. I usually brown them in
two batches, unless I make a smaller recipe or have a large pot. If I
have onions left after the assembly step, sometimes I will chop them and
add them here, cooking for a couple of minutes in the oil. When the
rouladen are done cooking, the onions will have disappeared into the
liquid. After the rouladen are all browned, add water (and the optional
red wine and/or beef stock) to almost cover. Note that they will
shrink, so don't cover them with too much liquid initially. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for two to three hours on low heat.
I really like the flavor that the carrots add to the gravy, plus I like
to eat the carrots. If they are of a medium size, cut them into two
pieces and then cut the thicker half lengthwise again. If you have
"baby" carrots, they don't need cutting. Add them about an hour before
serving.
A little before eating, take a prewarmed platter and put the rouladen on
it, with carrots if you made them. Cover and put in a warm place. Make
gravy using some or all of the cooking liquid plus some flour (or use
your favorite gravy technique). Note that the gravy is one of the best
parts of the meal, although the dill flavor is a little strong.
I like this served with mashed potatoes, rolls and green beans.
Serve the gravy separately, but most people choose to put it over the
rouladen, plus whatever else you've served that seems appropriate.
Here's a completely different recipe with picture. Note that the
picture doesn't match the recipe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouladen
Variations:
1. Cut some carrots into sticks. Roll them up with the pickle and
onion inside the rouladen. My aunt does this, and also uses string
rather than toothpicks.
2. Add bacon. You can put it inside or outside the rouladen. My
brother puts it on the outside, but only on half of them. That way
people can choose, although even the ones without bacon get some bacon
flavor, and the gravy tastes like bacon also.
--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA