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Bavarian cuisine – much like the Bavarians themselves – is perhaps a little rough, a little bitter and a little heavy. But those who think it’s summed up by pork knuckle and dumplings are greatly mistaken. Let’s get rid of this cliché once and for all! As you make your way to the peaks of Bavarian cuisine, you’ll discover all its unique, heavenly pleasures! The dishes are subtly elegant, usually simple, exquisitely honest, authentic and tasty – and always top-class.
Bavarian cooking is packed full of traditions its people are particularly proud of, and they foster and preserve them with great care. Nothing is wasted. This is perfectly exemplified by the Munich Kocherlball, or Cooks’ Ball, which has become a huge annual event. People meet on a Sunday morning by the Chinese Tower in the English Garden to commemorate all the servants – from kitchenhands to cooks to stable workers – who, in the 19th century, would gather here every Sunday at the crack of dawn before getting back to their hard work. People would chat, dance, kiss and eat. They didn’t have much, but they made the most of what little they had. That’s the Bavarians for you: making something out of nothing!
Bavaria has virtually achieved a cult status, and not just during the Oktoberfest! The home-grown recipes from times past, and for all manner of occasions, are today more relevant than ever. And they all fit into our “neatly packed rucksack”, which effortlessly transports everyone – locals, visitors and Bavaria fans alike – to the region’s culinary peaks. What you do need, however, are proper regional products, like healthy cattle, who love being out in the fresh Bavarian air, and flavoursome vegetables and herbs, which thrive in our wonderful soil.
So now it’s your turn to embark on your culinary ramble and scale unimaginable heights. We’re sure you’ll make it. And if you have the odd problem, don’t give up; just keep at it. Because the only way to get better is to actually get into the kitchen and start cooking. We would certainly love for you to reach the top and proclaim that “Bavarian food is awesome and tastes simply delicious!”
YUMMY AND INEXPENSIVE
SERVES 4–6:
1 large onion
200 g pork dripping (e.g. the fat skimmed off the pork knuckle on >)
2 pinches of caraway seeds
2 pinches of dried marjoram
salt | freshly ground black pepper
a few slices rye bread
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 20 min
CHILLING: overnight
PER SERVING (when serving 6):
c. 415 kcal | 4 g p | 34 g f | 22 g ch
1 Peel and finely dice the onion. Put 2 tablespoons pork drippings into a frying pan and melt. Add the diced onions and fry over medium heat for 6–7 minutes until golden. Add another 1 tablespoon of fat and fry the onion for a further 2 minutes.
2 Season the onion with the caraway seeds and the marjoram, add the remaining pork drippings and heat through. Reduce the temperature and allow everything to simmer gently over low heat for about 2 minutes. Generously season the fat with salt and plenty of pepper.
3 Pour the hot drippings into a heatproof jar or into individual dishes, close or cover. Leave the drippings to cool, then chill in the fridge overnight.
4 To serve, either spread the drippings thickly onto slices of bread and serve these at the table, or serve the bread in a basket and offer the fat in a jar or in the individual dishes for everyone to spread onto their bread slices themselves.
Pork roast does not lend itself to reheating, but it’s all the more delicious cold – whether as a Brotzeit sack with freshly grated horseradish or as a tasty Bratensulz, as in this recipe.
LOOKS PRETTY TOO
SERVES 4:
¾ l beef broth (>, but unspiced, or ready-made beef stock)
1 sachet aspic powder (25 g, see tips)
6 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt | sugar
4 eggs (medium)
4 gherkins
150 g cherry tomatoes (if liked)
500 g cold roast pork (e.g. neck of pork, >, or pork knuckle, >)
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 40 min
CHILLING: c. 4 hours
PER PORTION: c. 415 kcal | 41 g p | 22 g f | 6 g ch
1 In a saucepan, bring the beef broth to the boil, working in the aspic powder according to the packet instructions. Season the brawn with vinegar, salt and sugar (see tips and info), leave to cool and skim if necessary.
2 Put the eggs into boiling water, cook for about 10 minutes until hard-boiled, drain, rinse under cold water, shell and cut into thin slices. Cut the gherkins diagonally into thin slices. Wash the tomatoes, if necessary, and halve them. Cut the roast pork into 8 slices (c. 1 cm thick).
3 Divide the roast pork, eggs, gherkins and cherry tomatoes between deep plates, then pour over the brawn liquid. Make sure everything is well covered and “submersed”. Cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 4 hours (even better overnight).
USEFUL TIPS
If you have no aspic powder at home, you can use 9 sheets of white gelatin instead. Soak the gelatin in cold water 5–10 minutes, lightly squeeze out, add to the hot beef broth and stir briefly. The gelatin will quickly dissolve. Season the liquid brawn and continue as described in the recipe. The aspic powder is, however, more aromatic as it has been seasoned with spices, celery and carrots.
Important: Make sure you generously season the brawn liquid, using lots of vinegar and spices, perhaps even over-seasoning it, so that it almost takes your breath away. This is necessary because the ingredients (here meat, eggs, gherkin and tomatoes) will absorb plenty of the liquid’s flavour after after it has cooled and set.
WHAT IS BRAWN?
You can make savoury brawns using vegetables, meat and fish. Sweet jellies also taste delicious. Whether savoury or sweet, you will always need the so-called jelly stock, that is a well-seasoned liquid which sets after cooling. Fish, vegetable or beef broths are used as a basis for savoury brawns; for the sweet variation, a mixture of wine or sparkling wine and sugar syrup may be used, or alternatively alcohol-free apple, grape or redcurrant juice. The resulting liquid is then thickened with aspic powder, leaf or powder gelatin – it jellifies and the brawn thus achieves its typical consistency. For a vegetarian variation of the basic brawn recipe you can use non-meat jellifying agents, such as agar or locust bean gum flour (these are made from algae and seed pods and are available in most health food stores).
Bavarians love bread, especially dark country bread, and bread rolls – with or without seeds. There is an enormous variety of ways to make it, and they have the most poetic names: Pfennigmuckerl, Sternsemmeln, Mohnstangerl or, as here: Brotzeitstangerl.
CRUNCHY AND SPICY
MAKES 12 STICKS:
250 g rye flour (for sourdough bread)
250 g wheat flour (pastry flour)
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
1 ½ tsp salt
1 cube fresh yeast (42 g)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 level tsp coarse sea salt (lightly crushed with pestle and mortar, depending on the size of the grains)
flour for working | baking paper
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 30 min
RISING: c. 2 hours
BAKING: c. 40 min
PER STICK: c. 145 kcal | 4 g p | 0 g f | 31 g ch
1 Put the flours into the bowl of your blender (or into a kneading bowl if you are using a handheld blender). Finely crush the fennel and coriander seeds with pestle and mortar, then stir with the salt into the flour. Crumble the yeast into a cup, add 5 tablespoons of lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon of flour (from the flour mixture in the bowl) and the sugar. Stir to combine. Add to the flour in the bowl, together with 300 ml lukewarm water, and knead everything with the kneading hooks of the blender – start at a slow speed until all ingredients are well combined, then knead for 5 minutes on a high speed. Put a little flour into the bowl so that the dough comes away from the sides, and knead for another 1–2 minutes.
2 Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, hand-knead for another 2–3 minutes and shape into a ball. Dust the bottom of the bowl with flour, put the dough ball into the bowl, cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes. Knead again the dough in the bowl and leave to rise for another 1 hour.
3 Line two baking trays with baking paper. Transfer the dough to the floured work surface, shape it into a thick roll and divide this into 12 same-sized pieces (c. 70 g). Shape the dough pieces into 16–17 cm long sticks and place on the baking trays without touching each other. With a knife, make three diagonal cuts into the upper sides of each stick, cover them and leave to rest for another 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 210°C (convection oven 190°C).
4 Lightly brush the sticks with cold water, then sprinkle with caraway seeds and sea salt. Put both baking trays into the oven – one top, one bottom – and bake the sticks for about 40 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp. If your oven uses top and bottom heat, swap the trays over after about 25 minutes. This ensures that the sticks will be evenly baked. In a convection oven the heat will circulate and the trays do not have to be swapped.
5 Take the finished bread sticks out of the oven, place on a cooling rack and leave to cool. Eat soon so the sticks will still be crisp and fresh.
Bavarian cuisine is famous for its dumplings, which make ideal companions for roast pork, roast goose and goulash. They are also really good on their own – for example in a sour dressing with alpine cheese and radishes.
SUMMERY AND FRESH
SERVES 4:
300 ml vegetable stock (ready-made stock or homemade stock, see right)
6 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp sugar
salt | freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp vegetable oil
500 g cold bread or serviette dumplings (> or >)
200 g mild alpine cheese (thinly sliced)
½ bunch radishes
1 bunch chives
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 20 min
PER SERVING: c. 610 kcal | 24 g p | 38 g f | 42 g ch
1 Heat the vegetable stock to lukewarm, transfer to a bowl, stir in the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Leave the marinade to stand for 5 minutes until the spices are dissolved, then whisk in the oil.
2 Meanwhile, cut the dumplings into ½ cm slices and place them into a shallow dish. Cut the cheese into strips about 1 cm wide. Wash, trim and thinly slice or shave the radishes. Arrange the radishes and cheese on the dumpling slices, pour over and gently combine with the marinade, then leave to absorb the flavour for about 5 minutes.
3 Rinse the chives and shake dry. Snip them into thin rings and sprinkle over the dumpling salad just before serving.
To make 2 litres of basic vegetable stock, wash or peel, trim and roughly chop 150 g onions, 150 g celeriac, 200 g celery, 200 g carrots, 100 g parsley roots and 200 g tomatoes. Peel and halve 1 garlic clove. Cut 1 leek (c. 100 g) lengthways and wash thoroughly. In a wide saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions, celeriac, carrots and parsley roots and sauté for about 5 minutes. Season with 2 pinches of salt. Add the celery, tomatoes, garlic and 1 tablespoon of dried button mushrooms, pour in 2.5 litres water and bring to the boil. Simmer the stock over low heat for about 45 minutes. Now rinse a few parsly sprigs and add together with the leek, ½ teaspoon juniper berries, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves and ½ teaspoon allspice berries. Cook for another 45 minutes. Pour the vegetable stock through a fine sieve (if possible, use a sieve that you have lined with a fine straining cloth or kitchen towel), catching the stock. Discard the vegetables and immediately use the stock. Alternatively, pour the stock into thoroughly cleaned screw-top jars, close them well and place them upside down to cool. You can of course also fill the stock into suitable freezer containers and freeze it for future use.
A Fleischpflanzerl, or Bavarian burger, should be light, aromatic, juicy and crunchy. The soaked bread roll makes it light, mustard and spices supply flavour, and if well cooked it will be juicy and crunchy.
IRRESISTIBLE COLD OR HOT
SERVES 4:
2 stale bread rolls (c. 100 g)
150 ml milk
1 large onion
1 small garlic clove
6–8 sprigs flat-leaved parsley
2 tbsp butter
salt | 2 eggs (large)
500 g mixed minced meat (pork and beef)
1 tbsp medium-hot mustard
1 tbsp coarse-grained mustard
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
freshly ground black pepper
2 pinches cayenne pepper
2 tbsp clarified butter
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 30 min
RESTING: c. 10 min
IN THE OVEN: c. 20 min
PER SERVING: c. 570 kcal | 33 g p | 39 g f | 21 g ch
1 Cut the bread rolls into 1 cm dice and place them in a bowl. Heat the milk to lukewarm and pour evenly over the breadroll dice. Peel and finely dice the onion and the garlic. Rinse and shake dry the parsley, pull off the leaves and chop, but not too finely.
2 In a small saucepan heat the butter until it starts to foam, then use a little of the butter to brush a baking tray. Add the onion and garlic dice to the saucepan with the remaining butter and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until translucent. Lightly season with salt and leave to cool.
3 Combine the soaked bread rolls with the eggs, onion, garlic, parsley, minced meat, the two types of mustard and the breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Leave the mince mixture to swell for 10 minutes.
4 Preheat the oven to 140°C (convection oven 120°C). Divide the mince mixture into 12 even portions. With moistened hands, shape each portion into a ball and flatten slightly.
5 In a large frying pan, melt the clarified butter. Add the burgers and fry for 2 minutes until golden brown, turn and fry the other side for 2 minutes until also golden brown. Transfer the burgers from the frying pan to a baking tray, put into the oven (centre) and continue cooking for 20 minutes until finished.
6 Remove the burgers from the oven and arrange on warm plates. A potato salad (>/>) makes for an excellent accompaniment.
USEFUL TIPS
Finishing the burgers in the oven means they will stay nice and juicy. Of course you can also cook them in the frying pan until they are done: Simply start by frying the burgers as described, then cover and finish cooking over low heat for 15 minutes, turning them several times.
The burgers taste even better and more “classy” if you make them with minced veal. And if you still have some homemade sauce (e.g. from the roast pork or the dark sauce, > and >), the simple burgers will become a veritable feast.
The old-fashioned way of presenting a steak tartare is to put the raw, minced beef in the middle of the plate, top it with an egg yolk and garnish it with onions and gherkins. Everyone can see the fresh meat and then dress their own tartare to taste at the table. This delicious variation is ready-made for you to enjoy.
EXTRAVAGANT AND SPICY
SERVES 4:
For the tartare:
2 shallots
3 anchovy fillets (in oil)
1 tsp capers (in brine)
2 gherkins
500 g minced beef (freshly minced by the butcher)
2 egg yolks (medium)
1 tsp medium-hot mustard
1 tsp hot mustard
a few dashes of Tabasco
salt | freshly ground black pepper
For the chive sandwiches:
1–2 bunches chives
4–8 slices country bread (depending on size)
butter for spreading
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 15 min
PER SERVING: c. 550 kcal | 37 g p | 29 g f | 35 g ch
1 To make the tartare, peel and finely dice the shallots. Rinse the anchovy fillets under cold water, then pat them dry and finely chop them. Drain, pat dry and finely chop the capers. Also cut the gherkins into small dice.
2 Put the minced beef into a large bowl. Add the shallots, anchovy fillets, capers, gherkins, egg yolks and both types of mustard, then gently combine everything until well mixed. Season generously to taste with Tabasco, salt and pepper.
3 To make the sandwiches, rinse the chives under cold water, shake dry and snip into thin rings. Evenly spread the chives on a shallow plate. Thickly spread the bread slices with butter, then leave whole or halve depending on their size. Press the buttered bread slices butter side down into the chives.
4 Arrange the beef tartare on plates and serve with the open chive sandwiches.
OR TRY THIS: MEDIUM RARE STEAK TARTARE
Roll the prepared tartare with moistened hands to form 8 even-sized balls, then flatten them slightly to form steaks. In each of two large frying pans, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Put 4 steaks into each pan, fry over medium heat for 2 minutes, turn, fry for another 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and leave the steaks to finish cooking for another 1 minute until medium rare. Goes well with boiled buttery potatoes, a green salad and golden-fried onion rings.
USEFUL TIPS
To make beef tartare, only the tenderest meat free from sinews is used, for example fillet of beef. Gourmets do not put the meat through a mincer but, cut it into very fine dice using a sharp knife.
Mustard, Tabasco, salt and pepper supply the basic seasoning of the tartare. If you want to add another flavour note, why not try using 2 tablespoons of a spicy tomato ketchup and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce?
When it comes to sausages, Bavarian butchery can boast a truly incomparable array. The most famous Bavarian sausage, so the story goes, was fittingly created at the “Ewigen Licht” (Eternal Light) inn at Munich’s Marienplatz, where the Weisswurst (Bavarian white sausage) was invented by accident by butcher Josef Moser. In the early hours of Carnival Sunday 1857, he was rolling his tasty veal sausage as per usual, when he soon noticed he had run out of sheep casings. In his desperation – the first patrons had already started arriving – he simply stuffed the sausage meat into pig intestines, twisted the ends, and boiled the sausages in hot water. The Weisswurst was a huge success, conquering the whole of Bavaria – and transformed the “Main Line” (the tacit line between northern and southern Germany formed by the river Main) into the “Weisswurst Equator”, which, for Bavarians, marks the start of foreign territory.
The Weisswurst is said to be even older than the sausage invented by Josef Moser. An engraving from 1814 depicts some locals sucking on Weisswürste in the Bockkeller beer hall – one of the original forms of eating the sausages, in which the meat is gradually “drawn” (sucked) out of the casing using one’s teeth. The reigning “Weisswurst King”, who has won the title several times, actually comes from Baden-Württemberg, but at least he is a member of the “Association for the Protection of Munich White Sausages”.
The rule that white sausages should never hear the church bells toll twelve dates back to the time when, due to the lack of modern cooling equipment, they had to be boiled shortly after production to ensure they did not spoil. Today, thanks to refrigerators (and preservatives), exceptions are tolerated. The white sausage is placed in hot water before serving, and is eaten warm and – always! – without the skin.
There are many ways to eat white sausages properly, apart from sucking. A good option for beginners is the “Längsschnitt”, or lengthways cut, where the sausage is sliced down the middle, without being totally severed in two. Both sides are then folded back, and the meat scooped out. The “Kreuzschnitt”, or crossways cut, is for the nimble-fingered: the sausage is held in place with a fork and a diagonal incision made about 4 cm from one end. The filling is then scooped out, and the process continued in a zigzag pattern all the way down. It should be accompanied by sweet mustard, fresh pretzels and a fresh wheat beer. That’s the only way it will make you happy and ensure a relaxing wind-down to your day. Because, as the saying goes, “He who eats Weisswurst in the morning will not fight at night!”
SUMMERY AND FRESH
SERVES 4:
2 bunches radishes (c. 350 g each)
salt
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small bunch chives
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 15 min
MARINATING: c. 35 min
PER SERVING: c. 115 kcal | 2 g p | 10 g f | 4 g ch
1 Wash the radishes, cut off and discard the roots and green parts. Cut or shave the radishes into thin slices and put them into a bowl. Season with salt, stir to combine and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
2 Stir together the white wine vinegar and the sugar, leave to stand briefly, then whisk in the oil. Put the radishes into a sieve, add the liquid drained from them to the dressing, and leave to stand for another 15 minutes.
3 Rinse and shake dry the chives, then snip them into thin rings. Just before serving, stir the chives into the radish salad and check the seasoning.
There are many types of radish: large and small, longish and round, red, white and two-coloured. A root vegetable with a slightly peppery taste, it is often served raw in a salad or by itself. Salt is an absolute must to bring out the best flavour in these healthy, vitamin-packed crunchers.
BAVARIAN HOT STUFF
SERVES 4:
2 long beer radishes (c. 450 g each)
salt
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
a pinch of sugar
freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp sunflower oil
2 sprigs flat-leaved parsley (if liked)
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 15 min
MARINATING: c. 35 min
PER SERVING: c. 120 kcal | 2 g p | 10 g f | 5 g ch
1 Remove the roots and the green parts, then peel the radishes. Cut or shave the radishes into thin strips, put them into a bowl, season with salt and stir well to combine. Leave to stand for just under 20 minutes.
2 Stir together both types of vinegar with the sugar and the pepper. Leave to stand for a little while, then whisk in the oil. Put the radishes into a sieve and add the liquid drained from them to the dressing and leave to marinate for another 15 minutes.
3 Rinse the parsley if necessary and shake or pat dry. Pull off and chop the leaves. Check the seasoning of the radish salad, add some parsley if liked, serve and enjoy.
NICELY SPICED AND GOOD-LOOKING
SERVES 4:
1 kg salad potatoes
salt | 1 small onion
80 g smoked streaky bacon, without rind
3 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
100 g curly endive salad leaves
200 ml beef stock (>, or ready-made beef stock)
4 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp medium-hot mustard
freshly ground black pepper
2 pinches of sugar
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 50 min
PER SERVING: c. 380 kcal | 9 g p | 23 g f | 32 g ch
1 Wash the potatoes, boil them in plenty of salted water for about 20 minutes until done, then drain. Briefly leave to cool, then slip of the skins and cut the potatoes into ½ cm thick slices. Put the potato slices into a bowl.
2 Meanwhile, peel the onion; finely dice onion and bacon. Put the bacon into a frying pan with ½ tablespoon oil and fry the bacon for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for a further 3 minutes. Take off the stove. Wash and shake dry the curly endive leaves, stack the leaves on top of each other and cut them into strips.
3 Heat the beef stock and stir in the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour the dressing over the potato slices and leave to marinate for 5 minutes. Add the onion and bacon mixture and the remaining oil, combine well, sprinkle with the endive strips and carefully stir again. Check the seasoning, then serve the potato salad lukewarm.
USEFUL TIP
Only add the oil to the salad right at the end. First the potatoes need to absorb plenty of the stock – for a really good potato salad needs to be shiny and under no circumstances should it be dry.
CLASSIC AND GOOD
SERVES 4:
1 kg salad potatoes (e.g. Charlotte)
salt
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 large onion
2 tbsp butter
freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch flat-leaved parsley
200 ml beef broth (>, or ready-made beef stock)
4 tbsp white vinegar
2 pinches of sugar
4 tbsp vegetable oil
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 45 min
PER SERVING: c. 305 kcal | 7 g p | 15 g f | 32 g ch
1 Wash the potatoes, then boil in plenty of salted water with the caraway seeds for about 20 minutes until done. Drain, briefly leave to cool, peel, then cut into ½ cm thick slices. Put into a bowl.
2 Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the onion. Put the butter into a frying pan to melt, add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes over medium heat until translucent. Season with salt and pepper and take off the stove. Rinse and shake dry the parsley, pull off and roughly chop the leaves.
3 Add the onion to the potatoes. Heat the stock and stir in the vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour the dressing over the potato slices, leave to stand for 5 minutes. Add the oil and carefully stir to combine well. Check and adjust the seasoning to taste, add the parsley and serve.
BAVARIA’S FAVOURITE
SERVES 4:
1 kg salad potatoes (e.g. Jersey Royals)
salt
1 small cucumber (c. 400 g)
200 ml beef broth (>, or ready-made beef stock)
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
2 pinches of sugar
4 tbsp vegetable oil
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 45 min
PER SERVING: c. 270 kcal | 7 g p | 11 g f | 32 g ch
1 Wash the potatoes, then boil them in plenty of salted water for about 20 minutes until done. Drain and briefly leave to cool. Peel and cut into ½ cm thick slices. Put into a bowl.
2 Meanwhile, wash the cucumber and peel it so that green strips of peel remain. Shave the cucumber into thin slices, place them into a bowl, season lightly with salt and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Put the cucumber into a sieve and squeeze out.
3 Heat the beef stock, then stir in the vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour the dressing over the potatoes, leave to stand for 5 minutes. Add the oil and combine well. Add the cucumber slices, and stir again. Check the seasoning and serve lukewarm.
A genuine classic – beloved by everyone, across the generations!
WORTH THE EFFORT
SERVES 4:
For the beef roulades:
1 carrot | salt
2 onions
4 slices of brisket or rump steak (c. 200 g each, pounded thin)
freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp medium-hot mustard
12 rashers bacon (c. 120 g)
4 gherkin sticks (or 1 large gherkin, quartered lengthways)
2 good pinches of flour
For the sauce:
1 large onion | 1 carrot
1 piece celeriac (c. 80 g)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp tomato purée
300 ml full-bodied red wine (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 l meat stock (from the jar)
1 tsp cornflour
salt | freshly ground black pepper
Plus:
kitchen twine or cocktail sticks
HOW LONG IT TAKES: c. 1 hour
IN THE SAUCEPAN: c. 1 hour 40 min
PER SERVING: c. 680 kcal | 49 g p | 44 g f | 12 g ch
1 To make the roulades, peel the carrot, halve it crossways, then quarter the halves lengthways. Put the carrot strips (about 1 cm wide) into boiling salted water, cook for 2 minutes, remove, rinse under cold water and drain. Peel the onions, cut into 8 wedges.
2 Place the steaks on the work surface, season with salt and pepper and spread with mustard. On each steak, place 3 bacon rashers lengthways, and put 2 carrot sticks, 2 onion wedges and 1 gherkin stick into the lower third. Fold over the long sides of the steaks, then roll up from the short ends. Fasten with kitchen twine or cocktail sticks.
3 Season the roulades with salt and pepper, dust all over with flour and place into the saucepan. Fry in the oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, turn and fry for another 3 minutes. Take the roulades out of the saucepan.
4 To make the sauce, peel the onion, carrot and celeriac and cut into 1 cm cubes. Heat the oil in a large, wide saucepan. Put the cubes into the saucepan and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add a dash of red wine and cook to reduce, repeat twice. Now pour in the remaining red wine and the meat stock, bring to the boil. Place the roulades in the sauce, cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour 40 minutes or until tender.
5 Take the roulades out of the saucepan. Strain the sauce through a sieve, catching the sauce and returning it to the saucepan, bring to the boil. Dissolve the cornflour in 1–2 tablespoons cold water and stir into the sauce, cook over medium heat for 15 minutes to reduce until it has a velvety consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Return the roulades to the saucepan, bring to the boil and gently simmer in the sauce over low heat for another 2–3 minutes to warm through. Serve on warm plates with potato purée (>) or wide ribbon noodles.
You can use various cuts for braising: brisket, short ribs, flank and slices of rump are all marbled, streaky and make a really strong and very flavoursome broth, the sort that every good kitchen should have. If however you prefer it a little more delicate, just go for topside.
DOWN TO EARTH AND AUTUMNAL
SERVES 4:
400 g butternut squash
600 g waxy potatoes
250 g turnips | 1 large onion
2 tbsp butter | salt
freshly cooked beef brisket plus ½ l beef broth (both >)