Rouladen

My friend, Doris, makes Rouladen for special occasions and I always get hungry for them when she mentions them. Before I got this recipe from her, I just winged it and basically made my own version, but now I am happy to give you a real recipe.

Ingredients:

2 – 3 lbs round steak, cut for Rouladen (8 - 12 thin slices)
salt, pepper and marjoram to taste
mustard
1-2 large onions, chopped (I used 1 onion)
15 – 20 slices bacon
a few pickles. sliced (optional)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1-2 cans button mushrooms

Method:

1. In a large frying pan, sauté onion and bacon. I used pre-cooked bacon, so I just add it once the onion is soft, or use it without frying.
2. Tenderize the meat. I put a few slices on a chopping board, cover the meat with a plastic bag and then use the meat hammer on it. This way the juices don’t splatter.
3. Sprinkle meat lightly with salt, pepper and marjoram, then paint lightly with mustard.
4. Divide onions and bacon on tenderized meat slices and add pickle on one end.
5. Roll up, starting with pickle end, folding in the sides a tad. Secure with toothpick.
6. Brown in same pan as you cooked the onions in. I like to add a splash of wine at the end of the browning process and continue cooking them until it’s almost evaporated.
7. Transfer rouladen to roasting pan.
8. Add cream of mushroom and liquid from mushrooms to drippings in pan and bring to boil. I used 1 can mushroom soup and about 1/2 cup light cream.
9. Pour sauce over rouladen and bake at 325F for 1 - 1 ½ hours, depending on size. Add button mushrooms for last 20 minutes.

Other option for sauce: Add 3 cups beef or chicken broth (shake 1 cup with 3 Tbsp flour to thicken) to drippings in pan. Cook rolls on stove or in the oven, in the sauce. When done, remove rolls onto serving plate and stir ½ cup of cream into the gravy.

Serving suggestion: Serve with Bev's Spaetzle or mashed potatoes and red cabbage