Traditional German cuisine is rich, enticing, delicious and easy to make with the help of the best cooks in the world — German grandmas. Grandma’s German Cookbook (DK Publishing, 2012) is a unique tour of Germany’s regional cuisine with 85 classic recipes collected by food lovers Linn Schmidt and Birgit Hamm from their beloved grandmothers. Check out the following recipe for Roulades with Red Cabbage in the following excerpt.
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Unlike their thinner, classic, cousins these roulades are noticeably plump. This is because they are filled with hard-boiled eggs, and not, like classic roulades, with pieces of dill pickle. As a child, I was fascinated when a roulade was cut lengthwise in two and the egg halves appeared. And, because they not only look appealing but also taste fabulous, these roulades are still my favorite — a delicious surprise package.
Red cabbage roulades recipe
Serves 4.
For the roulades:
4 large eggs
4 pieces of boneless bottom round beef, 9oz (250g) each pounded to 1/4 in (6mm) 4 tsp mustard
freshly-ground black pepper
4 slices of bacon
2 large onions
1/4 cup oil
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
For the red cabbage:
1 red cabbage (about 2.2lb/lkg)
2 tablespoon unsalted butter or clarified butter
1 bay leaf
1 cloves
Salt to taste
2 tart apples
1-2 tablespoons red currant jelly (from a jar)
1-2 tablespoons vinegar
Boil the eggs for 8-10 minutes until they are hard cooked. Peel and put them aside. Lay out the pieces of beef side by side and spread each piece with 1 teaspoon of mustard, season with pepper, and cover with 1 slice of bacon. Place a hard-boiled egg in the middle of each piece of beef and roll up the roulade around the filling. Secure the rolls with kitchen twine.
Peel and mince the onions. Heat the vegetable oil in a casserole and sear the beef roulades on all sides—they should be brown but not too dark. Remove the roulades. Add the diced onions, bay leaf, Hungarian paprika, and cayenne pepper to the casserole and cook, stirring constantly. Add the tomato paste, sugar, and salt. Cook for about 1 minute and add the red wine. Return the roulades to the casserole, add 2 cups of hot water, and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise the roulades in the oven at 300 °F (150 °C) for about 2 hours.
Remove the roulades from the casserole and put them in the oven to keep warm. Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan through a fine sieve, pressing down on the sieve with the back of a spoon so that all the juices are released. Reheat. If desired, mix the cornstarch with a bit of water until smooth and use it to bind the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and return the roulades to the sauce to rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
To make the red cabbage, quarter the head of cabbage, remove its core, and shred it finely. Heat the butter in a pot, add the shredded cabbage, and saute it for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf, clove, salt, and 1 1/4 cups of water. Cover the pot. Peel and core the apples and cut them into wedges. Place the apple wedges on top of the cabbage and simmer over a low heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season the cabbage with enough sugar, salt, red currant jelly, and vinegar to give it an intense sweet-sour flavor. Serve the roulades with red cabbage and potato dumplings.
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from Grandma’s German Cookbook, published by DK Publishing, 2012. Buy this book from our store: Grandma’s German Cookbook.
