Rouladen & Rotkohl
serves 5
Recipe By: Barbara Poorman
After moving to Miami in 1979, Barbara often prepared her comforting Rouladen and Rotkohl whenever she felt homesick. Rouladen, a classic German dish, features thin beef slices rolled around bacon, onions, pickles, and mustard, then browned and simmered in a rich gravy. It’s typically served with Rotkohl (braised red cabbage) or potatoes.
Rouladen
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 lbs top round steak, thinly sliced lengthwise and pounded to 1/4″ thick (should make 10 strips)
- Sliced bacon, enough for each strip of meat
- 1-2 large yellow onions, diced
- Salt & pepper
- 8 oz jar of yellow or Dijon mustard
- 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 5 pickle spears, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
- Cornstarch or additional flour to thicken broth, if necessary
INSTRUCTIONS
- Lay the beef slices on a clean work surface. Season with salt and pepper, and spread each slice generously with about 2 teaspoons of mustard.
- Place a strip of bacon on each beef slice, aligning it with the length of the beef.
- Place a pickle spear, carrot, and chopped onions crosswise in the center of each slice of meat. Trim the pickle spear if it hangs off the edges.
- Roll the meat tightly and tie with kitchen twine or secure with toothpicks.
- Put 1 cup of flour on a plate or shallow bowl and dredge each beef roll in the flour.
- Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or pot. Brown the meat on all sides and then remove.
- Add red wine to the same pot, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Reduce heat and add beef broth, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Return the beef rolls to the pot, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 1½ hours until tender.
- If you would like to thicken the gravy, whisk together cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Remove beef from gravy and slowly add the slurry to the gravy until you reach the desired thickness, then add the beef rolls back in.
- Before serving, stir in sour cream if desired, and remove toothpicks or twine from the meat.
- Place a pickle spear, carrot, and chopped onions crosswise in the center of each slice of meat. Trim the pickle spear if it hangs off the edges.
- Enjoy with Rotkohl.
Rotkohl
INGREDIENTS
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 apples (any tart and sweet variety like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Red), peeled and coarsely grated
- 32 oz jarred red cabbage
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup red wine
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fry 6 slices of bacon in a pan until browned.
- Add onion and continue frying until the onion is golden-brown.
- Add the 32 oz jar of red cabbage and grated apples.
- Add the bay leaf and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir in red wine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes.
