Mom's German Recipes For Goulash, Rouladen, Saurbraten

by Cindy
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Hi there,

My mother made the most delicious dinners while I was growing up, and when I got older and had moved out, I missed having her delicious meals all the time, so had her write down most of her recipes for me. She comes from the Rhine region, and when I search German recipes on the internet, none of the dishes are prepared in the same manner as my mother's method of cooking. You must try these, since anyone who has ever tried my German recipes, leave my home with a glazed look of satisfaction in their eyes. I will give you three to try...I hope you like them...I typically prepare all on a Sunday to leave in the fridge and reheat throughout the week

MOM's Goulash

1 lb bacon (chopped)
1lb stewing beef
1lb pork tenderloin (cut in cubes)
2 large onions (chopped)
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 large tomato (diced)
8 cloves garlic (chopped-minced is better)
2 bay leaves
1 to 1 ½ cup water
Big squirt mustard
Big squirt hot pepper sauce (or fingernail sized slice of jalepeno pepper)
salt
pepper
paprika
onion powder
garlic powder
maggi-the key to this recipe...can?t leave this out-buy in the international section of the supermarket or german or polish deli-I put on every meat I make, from chicken to pork to beef cooked in any manner
Italian seasoning (my addition-feel free to leave out)
Flour mixed with water to form paste (usually mixed prior to making gravy at the end)
2 beef oxo packets
Stir together bacon, beef, pork, onions, bay leaves, (jalepeno if using or see below for directions on hot pepper sauce) garlic, salt to taste, pepper to taste, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, maggi, Italian seasoning in large roast pan and brown meat in oven at 375 for 1 hour. (for seasonings- after mixing meats together in pan, add enough of each seasoning to liberally coat all meat-except Italian...just a few sprinkles of Italian)

Add green pepper and tomato and ¾ to 1 cup water and roast for another hour.

Remove roaster from oven and put on stovetop on low heat and add ¼ to ½ cup water, mustard, hot pepper sauce, 2 oxo packets and flour paste mixture to form gravy. Stir in the flour mixture slowly until you have a really thick gravy consistency.

Typically, we will not eat the goulash the same day I make it, as it tastes better after sitting in the fridge 1-2 days and reheated.

Serve with mashed potatoes, broad egg noodles, or rice. Egg noodles are best with goulash.

Mom's ROULADEN

10 Round Steaks pounded thin with a mallet
2 Onions sliced
2 onions chopped
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Paprika powder
Pepper
Mustard
Maggi the key to this recipe...can?t leave this out-buy in the international section of the supermarket or german or polish deli-I put on every meat I make, from chicken to pork to beef cooked in any manner
20 slices Bacon
30 slices Pickle
2 onion
8 cloves Garlic sliced
1 Green pepper, sliced
2 tomatoes quartered
2 bay leaves
flour mixed with water until smooth
2 pkg oxo powder

Beat steaks, salt and pepper each side,
Thinly spread mustard (like butter on bread)
Add 2 slices bacon and 2 rings of onion
Add sprinkles of salt, pepper, maggi, onion, garlic and paprika powders
Roll up and pin together with toothpick or metal picks
Place in roast pot with one inch of water,
Brown in oven at 350/375 for approx 1 hour turning every 30 minutes
Add sliced garlic, chopped onion, quartered tomatoes, green pepper, and bay leaves
Continue to brown in oven at 350/375 for approx 1 hour turning every 30 minutes
Add 1 cup water after two hours and cook for additional 45 mins.
For gravy, remove rouladen from pot, heat liquid and cooked vegetebles until bubbling and add flour mixture, 2 packets oxo powder and a big squirt of mustard and a nice shake of hot pepper sauce. Stir together and strain through sieve to another pot for gravy.

Rouladen are best served with rotkohl (red cabbage with apples), sauteed mushrooms/onions or sauteed green beans or asparagus and potato dumplings...If you don't want the hassle of making homemade dumplings, buy the packaged mix for potato dumplings at any German or Polish deli (possibly available in the international section of large supermarkets)-otherwise, mashed potatos or buttered egg noodles are your best option.

Mom's SAURBRATEN

Rump roast 4-5 pounds
Water
White Vinegar
Flour
Water
2 tablespoons pickling spice
2 Bay leaves
3 Onions chopped
8 garlic cloves
1 Green pepper chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
table or half/half cream
3 dashes Maggi-the key to this recipe...can?t leave this out-buy in the international section of the supermarket or german or polish deli-I put on every meat I make, from chicken to pork to beef cooked in any manner
2 pkgs beef oxo cubes/packages or knorr cubes
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tblsp half and half
Dash nutmeg

Boil Water in full tea kettle and let cool

Put roast in large bowl. Fill to top half vinegar, half boiled/cooled water. Add pickling spice, bay leaves, 2 chopped onions, and garlic cloves

Marinate 3-5 days in fridge-I usually leave 5 days for maximum tangyness (we sweat while we eat this dish-and put out extra napkins), but leave for only 3 days if you don't think you can handle the tang from the vinegar - It's definitely an acquired taste.

Put meat in roast pan with 1-2 cups marinade. Scoop garlic and bay leaves from marinade to add to roast pan. (or cut in fresh garlic)

Add green pepper, tomatoes, maggi, onion.

Roast in oven 1 hour @ 300, then 1 hour @ 350

Remove roast from pan and cover with foil

To juice, add beef cubes, mustard, bring to boil

Mix together some flour and water to form paste. Stir into juices and veggies to thicken

Strain juice with veggies and all through sieve to another pot. Add table or half and half cream to desired colour - I usually use approx 1/4 cup (eyeballed to a caramel colour).

Dash nutmeg on top of gravy and let sit for about 10 mins.

With this recipe, I usually slice the roast and soak in the gravy overnight to reheat the next day...tastes better after all the flavours have soaked in.

Saurbraten is best served with rotkohl (red cabbage), sauteed mushrooms/onions and potato dumplings...If you don't want the hassle of making homemade dumplings, buy the packaged mix for potato dumplings at any German or Polish deli (possibly available in the international section of large supermarkets)-otherwise, mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles are your best option.