German Beef Rouladen

        

      Reminiscing of our apartment in Unterwittighausen (my husband made up a song to help us remember how to say it) brings with it two distinct culinary memories.  The first, one I would just as soon forget, involves a lonely Christmas Eve spent with American neighbors and a bland, runny gruel they called dressing. The second, involves an 18-year old German neighbor eager to practice her English.  Her mother had done better by her in the kitchen than that of my American neighbor teaching her a thing or two about flavor. How did she know I was one of the few Americans that was excited to share international kitchen secrets - the locals always seemed to sniff me out!  Rouladen - our first foray, is a beef roulade, or rolled, filled meat.  The required ingredients, round steak, thinly sliced, bacon, onions, mustard and paprika were no problem but when it came to pickles, my mentor couldn't remember the word in English. 

     After a series of hand gestures that sent me, the puzzled yet intrigued student, looking for a baseball bat, she searched through my fridge and pulled pickles out. The beef rolls slowly braised in wine and broth develop rich soothing flavors like the best beef stews, but the paprika and pop of the pickles and mustard declare a Germanic slant. Though I was taught to lay a raw piece of bacon on the pounded beef, I now cook my bacon first and crumble it atop each roulade - to avoid fatty encounters.  Braised to fork tenderness the rolls are served with egg noodles or for the really authentic version, with spaetzle - recipe and discussion at the bottom of the blog.


Beef  Rouladen
8 thinly sliced pieces round steak or beef sliced for stir-fry (pounded to about 8 inches by 4 inches each, 1/4 inch thick)
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard or grey poupon
1 cup slivered onions
1/2 pound bacon, diced, fried until crisp and drained
1 cup chopped dill or kosher pickles
paprika, salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup oil
flour for coating
2 cups beef consome
1 cup red wine
sprig of fresh thyme
1 cup halved button mushrooms, sauted in 2 tab. butter
1/3 cup cream

-Saute onion in 2 tab oil until soft and caramel color, stirring occasionally, over low heat - about 15 minutes.

-Lay each piece round steak on working surface and pound to 1/4 inch thinkness, about 8 inches by 4 inches.  Spread mustard on each slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and generously with paprika.  Add 1 1/2 tab. chopped pickles and 1 1/2 tab. caramelized onions and 1 1/2 tab. bacon bits at one short end of each piece. 

-Roll meat tightly over the filling and secure with toothpicks or string.  Dip each roll into flour until well coated.

-Heat 1/4 cup oil in dutch oven.  Lay rolls into hot oil and fry, turning, until rolls are brown on all sides. 

-Add consomme and wine  and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover pot and lower heat to low, or until broth is just simmering.  Stir in 1 sprig fresh thyme. Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until rolls are fork tender. 

-Carefully remove rolls from broth and set aside.  Turn broth to high and cook down until thickened and glossy.  Stir in cream at room temperature.  Add mushrooms.  Adjust seasonings.  Return rolls to broth and gently heat through.

-Serve over egg noodles or spaetlze.  Garnish with fresh pinch of thyme.  Serves 4 - 8

Pound beef very thin, then spread

 with mustard, onion, bacon

paprika and pickle.

Roll tightly from short ends and

secure with string or toothpicks.

Serve rouladen with gravy over spaetzle or egg noodles.

Tunisian Cous-Cous

       She knocked at the door where the new Americans had moved in and said she wanted to practice her English.  Nadia was 18 years old, a beautiful, delightful, outgoing Tunisian, daughter in a large family in the neighborhood near the vegetable market, with a mother and sister who loved to cook - she hooked me with that!  They taught me, the adventure-struck expat, to make Cous-Cous, the national dish of the Maghreb (North Africa).  I taught them to make brownies and apple pie and always felt that I made out better in the deal.

      Cous-Cous to Tunisians implies the main dish staple, smothered in a piquant meat and vegetable, tomato based stew.  No such frou-frou as Lemon Glazed Oxtail Cous-Cous Salad.  The following authentic version uses beef, though chicken, fish and a spicy local sausage, merguez, often appear as the star.  Cous-cous is a hearty, soul-soothing, family dish, just exotic enough to pique the adventurous palette, but tame enough to temper finicky appetites.  Cook it low and slow to let the flavors meld.

Tunisian Beef Cous-Cous

1 package couscous
5 cups water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tab. sugar
2 pounds chuck steak, cut in 2-inch cubes
2 beef bouillon cubes (or 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut
1 large onion, sliced into 2-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch lengths
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup peeled, cubed banana
1 tab. cardamom or acorn squash
1 tab. powdered cumin
2 hot peppers, quartered (opt)
dash cayenne pepper
¾ cup tomato paste
1 tsp. crushed dried red chili peppers
1 1lb. can chickpeas, drained
2 green bell peppers, seeded, cored and quartered


-In large stew pot, heat oil and fry meat, onion and garlic, stirring until meat is brown. Add salt, pepper, cardamom, cumin, cayenne, tomato paste, dried chili peppers, water, sugar and bouillon cubes. Stir and cover. Let simmer 1 hour or until meat is almost tender. (If using chicken, remove after 30 minutes and continue simmering sauce.)

-Add potatoes, carrots, squash, chickpeas and peppers. Cover and simmer until vegetables are just barely tender, stirring occasionally. (Add more water if necessary.

-Cook couscous according to package directions.

-Arrange cooked couscous on platter and top with meat and vegetables. Pour some of the sauce over the meat and couscous. Serve remaining sauce in a separate container.

-Serves 8 – 12. (Couscous may be made with cubed lamb, chicken or white fish, if desired.)