How to be a foodie and still zip em up: Part 3- Series 1 - one of KD's fav home cooked German Meals

In Part 1 and 2 of Series 1, we've been talking about the discovery or rediscovery of meat/your local butcher along with the art of sharpening a fundamental knife set. In our Part 3 section of this Series, I wanna dive into the realm of how to tie a knot. I know you're thinking what is this chick going on about... First, meat, guitar strings, the weather, and now how to tie a knot onto a piece of meat??? What...

Well basically, I've been really inspired lately by pursuing things/tasks that take some time. I'm trying to sway against my ADD, and set my own time. One of the ways I do that is putting on new guitar strings, cleaning- I'm mean really cleaning with a scrub brush, shoveling - which I've been doing daily and washing my own car in this brick cold weather we're having in the mountains. Call me crazy, but I like it. In other words, I like doing things for myself, and/or learning lost art forms; and one of those without question is how and why we tie meat. 

There are thousands of ties, and I'm learning as I blog, but here's a site that provides some really good tips for tying roasts, medallions, and tenderloins over at recipetips.com

Today, since I've promised, I wanted to share a favorite german recipe that requires many of the steps mentioned in part 1 and 2 of Series 1 called Rouladen. For the wiki users... 

'Rouladen (or Rinderroulade) is a German meat roulade usually consisting of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef which is then cooked. 

Beef or veal is used as meat though some food scholars tend to believe that the original version was probably venison or pork, and pork is still popular in some areas. The beef rouladen as we know them today have become popular over the last century. The cut is usually Topside Beef or Silverside since this is the cheaper cut. The more expensive version would be the round steak, also known as rump steak. The meat is cut into large, thin slices'. (So this is where your butcher will come in handy) 

Basic Ingredients although each family/town has their own version:

For you Vegetarians out there who want to skip out on the Rouladen - there are two amazing sides that pair so well with this dish
1. Red Cabbage - simply buy from jar at local grocery store or click on image for German Deli.  Just add water and a little white wine with sugar to taste and cook low heat for 30 minutes.. Easy as that. If you want something more old school check out this recipe
 

And Finally for the real culinary lovers out there, our household never serves this specialty dish without the imfamous German spaghetti called:

Spätzle

Great recipe I found at globalgourmet

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup cold water

1. Combine the flour, eggs, salt, and nutmeg in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined and slowly pour in the water, mixing until the batter is smooth. Mix for about 5 minutes more, until the batter is elastic.

2. Bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Scrape the dough into a potato ricer or a colander with large holes and press the dough into the boiling water (with a large spoon or spatula if using a colander). Alternately, place dough on a small cutting board and scrape dough into boiling water. Cook until the spätzle are tender but still firm, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. They will rise to the surface when done.

3. Lift the cooked spätzle out of the water with a large slotted spoon, shake off the excess water and place directly onto a serving platter. (You can also drain the spätzle in a colander.)

Chef's Note
If you make the spätzle ahead of time, cool them off in an ice bath after cooking. Once cool, transfer the spätzle to an airtight container and toss with a bit of vegetable oil before sealing so they don't dry out. To reheat, either shock them in boiling water or saute them in butter until golden brown.

So this should be an amazing meal... Taken from various sites, and my mom's old way of doing things..  This can be paired with an array of reds, one of my fav's is the Ferrari Carrano Merlot. So enjoy, bon appetit and see you back here next Friday for Series 11.