Trying to channel your inner chef this holiday season? Consider diving into some traditional German and Bavarian dishes to make the holiday season extra special!
Main course: Beef Rouladen
Source: www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244200/chef-johns-beef-rouladen
German Beef Rouladen is a delicious and hearty dish made with thinly sliced beef that’s rolled around a tasty combination of bacon, mustard, pickles and vegetables and braised in a rich brown gravy until tender. It’s great for special occasions, Oktoberfest celebrations or whenever you’re craving comfort food!
Ingredients
- 2 (6-oz.) (1/4 inch thick) slices of beef round
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 4 strips bacon
- Paprika, or to taste
- 1/2 onion, sliced into half-rings and separated
- 6 dill pickle spears
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
For gravy
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef broth
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Place slices of beef on a work surface, Season both sides with kosher salt and pepper. Spread one side with mustard. Place bacon strips on the mustard and sprinkle with paprika. Arrange onion slices cross-wise on the beef. Then evenly space 3 pickle slices across each slice of beef. Keep about an inch of the narrowest end of the beef slice free of toppings to facilitate rolling it up.
- Roll each slice of meat, beginning from the wider of the two short ends, working to keep all ingredients inside the roll. Rolls should be nice and tight. Secure the rolls (seam side down) with 3 loops of butcher’s twine, one in the middle and one at each end. Trim excess string.
- Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Cook beef, turning and browning well on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove meat from pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Melt butter in the pan; whisk in the flour, cooking for about 1 minute. Pour in cold beef broth and whisk vigorously to combine. Raise heat to medium-high and simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute.
- Transfer beef rolls to pan along with accumulated juices. Reduce heat to very low. Simmer gently, covered, turning rolls every 20 minutes or so, until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. When the tip of a sharp knife can easily be inserted into the beef roll, the meat is done.
- Transfer meat to dish to allow it to rest. Raise heat to high and bring cooking liquid to a simmer to thicken slightly to make a gravy, about 1 minute. Serve Rouladen with gravy.
Side: Braised Red Cabbage
Source: www.allrecipes.com/recipe/234360/chef-johns-braised-red-cabbage
Braised red cabbage is a very beautiful, super easy side dish. All ingredients in this recipe are totally to taste. It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit tangy, with a tiny hint of caraway to interest you.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 small head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, or to taste
- 2 tbsp. white sugar
- 1 pinch caraway seeds
Directions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook cabbage in the hot butter until it begins to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Pour in water, red wine, and red wine vinegar; stir to combine. Mix in sugar and caraway seeds.
- Continue to cook and stir until liquid has evaporated and cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. If cabbage isn’t quite tender, add a splash of water and continue cooking a few more minutes.
Dessert: Traditional Springerle
Source: www.allrecipes.com/recipe/150123/traditional-springerle
Springerle is a type of German cookie that is usually served during the Christmas season. The anise-spiked cookies, which are typically square and feature embossed designs, date back to at least the 14th century.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 1/2 tbsp. crushed anise seeds
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions
- Spray 4 cookie sheets with cooking spray; sprinkle with anise seeds and set aside until needed.
- Mix flour and baking powder together in a large bowl until well blended. Place sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a separate large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and frothy, 5 to 8 minutes. Gradually stir flour mixture into egg mixture to form a thick dough.
- Working with handfuls of dough at a time, roll out onto a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Lightly sift confectioners’ sugar over dough. Place springerle molds onto dough; press down hard and evenly until the mold’s design registers in dough. Remove the mold. Use a small knife to cut around each cookie, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat, until all dough has been used. Cover cookies with a lightweight cotton cloth, and allow to dry for 8 hours, or overnight. The designs will remain embossed in the cookies.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 250F.
Bake cookies in preheated oven until tops are pale brown and cookies are set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
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