Authentic German Food: Braised Beef Rolls or Roulades

It is the way it is: my sweetie pie likes German cuisine. I grew up in Germany but never learnt how to cook there and never liked the German cuisine very much. In fact: my favorite German recipes are pancakes (northern German style thick pancakes filled with apples slices) and northern German style potato salad (with mayonnaise and yogurt). That’s it. Especially since the meat dishes are often very heavy in Germany, I like more the light Mediterranean cuisine.

So with a sweetheart who literally goes nuts for all German food, I have to learn from time to time some German recipe. This time on special request I prepared German braised beef rolls or – in German – Rinderrouladen.

I know them served with cooked red cabbage and potatoes, my sweetie would prefer potato dumplings.

I prepared the roulades the very German style with thin sliced pickles, onions and bacon. The mustard gives a very special taste to them. All is rolled up and hold together with toothpicks.

The roulades are cooked in a base of leak, carrots, onions and red wine. A teaspoon of tomato paste gives color and flavor. Important is that it cooks (braise) slowly, around one and a half hour.

Key-role is also that the roulades in the beginning have to be stir-fried to close the meat that it will not loose all its juice during the cooking process.

The roulades once were a dish of daily life, today – I guess because it is a little more work to prepare – it is also a typical festive dish. It has no flour (the meat can be floured a little before stear-frying, use tapioca flour then) and the gravy is creamy also without any starch. It is a complete healthy, paleo dish. I would serve them also with rice or better cauliflower rice instead of potatoes and red cabbage.

As meat use a special thin cut of topside beef/veal or round steak. Ask you butcher to cut it for roulades, he will know what you need. About the mustard: use any you have, a very simple one is OK. Just spread it thinly on the inner side of the roulades.

Note: With crock pot I don’t mean an electric slow-cooker! It’s like a casserole.

No toothpicks in the house? Use some string or thread.

My sweetheart felt like in heaven today when he was enjoying his lunch. For dinner at work he brought another batch. There are still enough for more lunches and dinners. You can make it ahead, in the fridge it is perfect for the next few days. You can portion it and freeze the roulades with the gravy. They will be perfect whenever you want them.

Enjoy!

Beef roulades Ger
German Braised Beef Rolls
Print Recipe
Servings
8
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 1.5 hours
Servings
8
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 1.5 hours
Beef roulades Ger
German Braised Beef Rolls
Print Recipe
Servings
8
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 1.5 hours
Servings
8
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 1.5 hours
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Prepare the onions, the leek, the carrot, the pickles and the parsley and put all of it in separate little plates.
  2. Open the roulades and one after the other prepare them. Beat the meat with a meat tenderizer, spread some mustard on the meat slice, put a slice of bacon, some onion slices, parsley. Now roll the roulade into a roll and fix the ends with some toothpicks. Spread some tapioca flour on the roulade. Proceed until you have 8 beef rolls.
  3. In a big crock pot or stew pot put some olive oil, let it heat and stir-fry the roulades from all sides that they are golden. Take them out and place them on a dish, set aside. Now add the carrot, leek and the remaining of the onion into the crock pot and stir-fry. Add the tomato paste, stir-fry, add half of the wine and let it simmer until the wine is nearly all gone.
  4. Now put back the roulades into the crock pot, add the rest of the wine and the water, season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot with its lit and let it cook/braise for an hour and a half. From time to time turn the roulades.
  5. The beef rolls are ready when you touch them with a spoon and the meat feels soft. Now take the meat rolls out and place them again on a dish. With a hand blender blend the vegetables and the sauce into a thick gravy. There is no additional flour needed. Season again if necessary. Put back the rouladen and let cool out or serve with red cabbage and potatoes.
Recipe Notes

The German Beef Rolls are best the day after, similar to a stew. You can also freeze portions of them, they will be perfect in any minute. 

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