Consider this Honorable Mention-winning recipe from The Happy Vagabonds. The sweet-tart cabbage and apples is the perfect counterpoint to the dense meat and puckery pickle.
Honorable Mention: The Happy Vagabonds
Braised Stuffed Beef Rolls with Red Cabbage and Apples
Beef
3 lbs top round steak
2 TBS flour 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
6 tsp hot prepared mustard
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
6 slices bacon
3 dill pickles cut lengthwise into halves
3 TBS bacon grease
2 cups water
1 cup celery, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced (white part only)
1 TBS scraped parsnip, finely chopped
3 parsley sprigs
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS butter
Slice steak 1/2-inch thick. Trim all fat and pound to 1/4-inch thick. Cut steak into 6 rectangular pieces about 4 inches by 6 inches. Spread each rectangle with a teaspoon of mustard and 2 teaspoons of onion. Place a slice of bacon down the center. Lay a half of a pickle across the narrow end of each piece and roll the meat around it into a cylinder. Secure the rolls with toothpicks.
In a Dutch oven, melt the bacon grease and add the beef rolls. Brown the beef rolls on all sides and transfer to a plate. Pour the water into the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add the celery, green onions, parsnip, parsley and salt. Stir and return beef rolls to Dutch oven. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 1 hour. Turn rolls once during cooking period.
Transfer rolls to plate covered with aluminum foil. Strain the cooking liquid left in skillet through a sieve. Press down on vegetables and then discard vegetables.
Measure 2 cups of liquid and set aside. Discard any remaining liquid. Melt the butter in the Dutch Oven and then sprinkle in the flour. Stir constantly until the flour turns a golden brown. Gradually add the 2 cups of cooking liquid using a whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add the beef rolls and simmer over low heat until rolls are heated through.
Red Cabbage and Apples
1/2-pound head red cabbage
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp salt
2 TBS bacon grease
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8-inch thick wedges
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 whole onion, peeled and pierced with 2 whole cloves
1 small bay leaf
1 cup hot water
3 TBS dry red wine
3 TBS red currant jelly
Remove the outer leaves and cut the cabbage into quarters. Cut out the core and slice the quarters crosswise into 1/8-inch wide strips. Put cabbage in large bowl, sprinkle with vinegar, sugar and salt. Toss with spoon.
Melt the bacon grease in a Dutch oven and add apples and onions. Cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, whole onion with cloves and bay leaf. Stir and pour in hot water. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to very low. Cover and simmer about 1 ½ hours. Just before serving, remove the whole onion with cloves and bay leaf. Stir in the wine and jelly.
Posts
