Dish du Jour Food & Wine Magazine and Queens Restaurant Guide > Recipes

(Serves 6)

This savory meat dish will woo you with its comforting, filling deliciousness. The bits of ham and bacon make common vegetables and roasted beef come alive. Served with red cabbage and spaetzle, you will delight in traditional German cooking.

Ingredients:

6 pieces Rouladen meat (to be explained)
2 medium sized carrots
1 large onion
2 dill pickles
6 slices cooked ham
12 slices bacon
6 tblsp deli mustard
½ cup water
Roasting vegetables (approx. 6 large carrots, 6 six sticks of celery and 1 large onion)
2 Beef bouillon cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour to thicken
Toothpicks

Method: “Rouladen Meat” is thinly sliced (approx ¼ inch) center cut beef top round. Most European butchers will know what you want. The pieces should be approx. 6” by 12”. Lay out all 6 pieces meat on a clean surface. Season with salt and pepper. Rub a tbsp of mustard onto each piece of meat. Next lay a piece of ham and bacon on top of each. Slice the pickles, carrots and onion lengthwise into spears. Lay 2 pieces of each onto meat. Carefully fold over about 1/3 of the meat on each side to form a roll. Insert toothpicks to secure. In a large casserole dish add ½ cup water, bouillon cubes and roasting vegetables. Place Rouladens on top of veggies, cover the casserole dish with tin foil. Cook in a pre-heated 350° oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove foil and cook uncovered for another ½ hour, or until brown. Carefully remove the Rouladens onto a platter and keep warm. For the gravy, place the roasting pan over a burner on the stove top. Mix two tbsps all-purpose flour and a half a cup of cold water. Slowly add in the mixture to the pan drippings – stirring. Cook until the sauce thickens. Strain though a fine mesh strainer. Gravy can be poured directly over the Rouladen or served on the side.

Red Cabbage

Ingredients:
2 12 oz jars ‘Lohmann's’ red cabbage
6 whole cloves of garlic
2 whole apples, peeled cored and finely grated
1 small onion, very finely chopped
Flour to thicken

Method: Empty both jars into large pot, add cloves and heat slowly. In a separate pan sauté the onion until golden brown. Add the apples and onions to the cabbage. Bring mixture to a boil; while stirring, add in the flour-water mixture (approx. 1 tblsp flour mixed with ¼ cup cold water) to thicken just a little. Do not overcook the cabbage or else it will loose its crispness!

Spaetzle
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
½ cup water
4 eggs
1 tsp salt

Method: In a mixing bowl, combine water, eggs and salt. (The mixing is usually done by hand with a whisk, but a mixer with a dough hook attachment can be used.) Mix until well blended. Slowly add in the flour. The mixture will be very lumpy at first, but will blend as the flour accumulates. When the mixture starts to come apart when pulled, but is still very sticky, the dough is ready. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place some or all of the dough onto a wooden board and roll off small “dough worms” into the water with a paring knife. This takes a bit to master, so be patient. Some German specialty stores also sell a spaetzle press. The spaetzle will soon begin to float. Boil for another 15 minutes and strain, as you would pasta.