Friday, April 2, 2010

Rouladen, German Beef Rolls

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(5-6 servings)


I have always loved these. There's different versions of this dish found throughout Germany, and they appear to be adaptations of a French dish.

This recipe is quite similar to my mother's. I think she might have also thrown a few juniper berries into the gravy (not very easy to find in Texas); I'll have to ask her about that.

I made braised red cabbage to go with these. Buttered egg noodles, dumplings or spaetzel go well with this too.

about 1.5 lbs of top or bottom round cut into thin slices.
2 - 3 tbsp German style (not the Bavarian sweet) mustard, Dijon works too
5-6 slices of bacon, cut in half
1/4 red or yellow onion sliced
about 4 small dill pickles, sliced
salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika

2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup red wine
1.5 cups beef stock

2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf , halved

1 tbsp flour

3 tbsp sour cream


Pound the meat with a meat hammer to flatten as much as possible without tearing.


Spread about a teaspoon of mustard over each piece of meat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Add the bacon, onion and pickle slices.


Roll up the beef slices and secure with kitchen string or wooden toothpicks.

Heat up the oil in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven. Add the beef rolls and fry until they are brown on all sides.

Arrange the rolls into a single layer and add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste and bay leaf. Cover and cook over low heat for about 1 1/2 -2 hours, (turning the meat over a few times) or until the beef is tender.

Transfer the rouladen to a plate.

Combine the flour and sour cream. Whisk in a few spoons of the hot liquid and, then whisk all of that back into the pot. Simmer for about 3 minutes until the gravy thickens.Check the seasoning and return the rouladen to the pot. Cook for a few more minutes until they heat through.

Traditionally, this is served with dumplings and braised red cabbage. They are also very good with egg noodles or spaetzel.

18 comments:

Cherine said...

i bet this recipe tastes like heaven!

Anonymous said...

great looking meal!

Foodiewife said...

I am thrilled to see this recipe! Seriously. My mother was from Bavaria, and I make a killer red cabbage, too. What kind of dumplings did you make? I blogged how to make Bavarian Semel Knoedel (bread dumplings), which are easy to make. I've always wanted to make rouladen, but my mom passed away before I got her recipe (which she never wrote down). With an ice cold German beer...I'm so there!

Gerlinde in Washington said...

I tried to make the Semmelknödel, but messed up. I think I added too much milk because most of them fell apart; only two survived intact.

Anonymous said...

Ok now I'm homesick. Rouladen... mmmmmm.....
I hear that you can make pretty decent potato dumplings combining Panni (Pfanni) powder and boiled, smashed potatoes. I haven't tried it myself though. Schöne Grüße aus Arizona!

Anonymous said...

I make my roulanden by adding parsley in addition to all of the above. Sehr Lecke.

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

I love Rouladen, grew up with them but ours had bell pepper, bacon and carrots in them. Also if you are looking for Juniper Berries you should check out Penzeys Spices (www.penzeys.com), they sell them at a decent price and they are fantastic.

Anonymous said...

Looks just my Oma used to make

Anonymous said...

You can find juniper berries on the internet or you can also find them locally, easily, if there's a home brewing store near you. People who manufacture their own beer use juniper berries for flavoring. That's where I buy mine. :D

Kristen @ The Endless Meal said...

I love Rouladen. My grandmother used to make it when I was young and I always loved the tart dill pickle combined with the rich meat. Will have to give this a try one day!

moonwolf233 said...

Dean and Deluca will have juniper berries for you.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Good to know, Thanks!
My mum recently sent me a small package of them. :)

Foodiewife said...

Danke schoen! As a kid, I didn't like rouladen. I was grossed out by the pickle. Now that my mutti is gone, I'd sure like to have this. This looks like what I remember. Thank you for posting this, so I can make it.

Anonymous said...

Made these today, my first attempt at rouladen after 17 years in Hamburg! Echt legga sind die Dinger :)

Adelaide B said...

Made this recipe for dinner tonight. AMAZING!

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Adelaide, I'm glad you liked them! They freeze really well, in case you make them again. :)

Unknown said...

I also put Parsley inside and serve the Rolladen with Spaetzle. delish

Jenn said...

My mom used to make this when we were kids and I hated it! Funny how it looks so much more appealing now :) I may just have to try it! Visiting from Food on Friday.

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