Rouladen for a Surprising Chilly March Night Dinner Party with an Ecclectic Group of Guests

Rouladen is one of my favorite  family recipes.  This recipe has been passed down at least since my Great grandmother.  My Mom makes it for special occasions and it is delicious.  It is also much simpler than it looks; i.e. people will be impressed, but it's not that hard to make.  It also has only a handful of ingredients which makes grocery shopping a breeze.  It is best served with mashed potatoes (I prefer garlic mashed potatoes; garlic makes everything better...as does bacon).  Oh, on a side note, this dish smells amazing and is great leftover too!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
About 2 lbs thinly cut sirloin or other comparable meet cut into 1 1/2 inch wide by 6-8 inch long pieces
1 lb bacon (cut in half)
about 25 baby carrot cut in half lengthwise
1 sweet onion cut into 1 inch long slices
4 cups beef broth (I use 4 Knorr beef bouillon cubes and 4 cups water)
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
toothpicks
Makes about 25 pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take each 2 by 6-8 inch piece of steak and lay flat.  Lay a piece of bacon on top, place 2 carrot halves and some onion at one end and roll the steak and bacon up around it.  Secure each rouladen with a toothpick(s).  If you think you are going to have extra bacon slices, then put two slices of bacon in some of the bigger rouladen (I always use the whole pound of bacon and I suggest you do the same, it adds a lot of flavor; and, on a similar note, I always use all the onion.  If some pieces have more onion than others, who cares, this isn't a science experiment).  Next roll each rouladen in flour (coat all sides).  Heat your oil and butter in a large skillet at medium high heat.  Cook the rouladen until browned on all sides.  You may need to do this is batches if they don't all fit at once.  Place the browned rouladen in a 13X19 inch dish or other  large oven-safe dish with a lid (if you don't have a dish with a lid, use aluminum foil).  Using the pan with the leftover butter, oil and rouladen bits boil 4 cups of water and add 4 beef bouillon cubes (I prefer Knorr); cook until bouillon cubes are absorbed.  Pour over the rouladen.  place rouladen in the oven with the lid on and bake at 350 for 1 to 3 hours.  The longer it cooks to more tender it will become.  You may need to add more beef broth if you cook for longer than 1 1/2 hours.  Check to make sure rouladen is covered with broth at all time or it may get dry.  Serve with mashed potatoes.  The beef broth becomes a great gravy.

Hint:  I prefer to use a cast iron dish to bake this in, I think it makes it taste better.

Classic Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:
7-10 medium potatoes (I like to leave the skin on, its good for you)
2cups sour cream
1/2 to 1 cup milk
2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 stick butter

Directions:
Fill a large pot 1/2 to 3/4 full with cold water.  Add salt to water and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, clean your potatoes and cut out any bad spots.  Cut your potatoes into 1 inch thick chunks.  When the water is boiling add the potatoes and cook until soft (use a fork to test; don't let the potatoes start falling apart).  While potatoes are cooking heat your butter in a small saute pan on medium to medium high heat.  Then add the garlic and saute until garlic is soft.  Add 1/2 cup of milk, turn off heat, and let sit until potatoes are done.  One potatoes are cooked drain the water and add the garlic milk mixture, sour cream and pepper to the potatoes.  Mash the potatoes.  If potatoes are too think, add more milk until desired consistency is reached.  Serve with dish of your choice (or rouladen above).

Chicken Cassoulet for a Full Moon and Lots of Friends

I love this dish.  Its a bit of prep work, but its not difficult.  I have been working on making the prep work more managble and have updated the recipe.  I make it when I have a lot of really close friends coming over for dinner or if I am in a "cozy" mood.  My sister, her boyfriend and her two good friends came to visit me this month and I made it for them.  It was just what we needed after a day of beer and wine tasting in the country.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 package bacon sliced into small pieces
1 large sweet onions diced
1 pounds Chicken Breast chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
1 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 + 1 cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 Tbsp. parsley (use fresh if you have it)
1 tsp. sage (use fresh if you have it)
1/4 tsp. thyme (optional)
2 links Low Fat Turkey or Chicken Sausage chopped into 1/4 inch slices (Hillshire Farms or Jennie-O lean kielbasa sausage works great, however just use one large link, Jennie-O Lean Mild Turkey Sausage, or any other low-fat turkey or chicken sausage will work; you can also simply use a whole package of bacon and leave the sausage out)
1 cup baby carrots cut in half (or 1 cup carrots, cut carrot in half lengthwise, then into 1 inch long slices)
1 (15 oz.) can Cannellini beans (Great Northern Beans)
1/4 stick (2 Tbsp.) butter
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Fry bacon in a large saute pan.  Once bacon is crisp, place on plate with paper towels to drain; reserve oil. 

Put 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon oil in the same (unwashed) saute pan and cook onions at medium heat until soft.  Put onion on plate and set aside. 

Put 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon oil in the same (unwashed) saute pan and cook chicken until done (approximately 8 minutes). 

If using precooked suasage, then skip this step.  If your sausage is raw, cook it over medium heat in a saute pan until done.  Set aside.

Mix tomatoes, wine, garlic, salt, pepper, 1/2 Tbsp.  parsley, sage, thyme together in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Evenly distribute, bacon, chicken, sausage, onions and carrots in a 13X9 inch casserole dishes (I use a cast iron casserole dish with a lid that is oven safe).  Cover evenly with the tomato mixture.  Pour two cups of chicken broth evenly over the casserole.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake covered for 45 minutes.  Remove the casserole from oven, add remaining cup of chicken stock and beans to casserole; and mix.  Bake covered for 30 more minutes.

While casserole is baking, melt butter in a saute pan; and mix with 1 tsp. parsley and breadcrumbs; cook until lightly browned over medium heat.  Remove the casserole from the oven and top the casserole with the bread crumb mixture (make sure to spread bread crumbs evenly).  Bake uncovered 30 more minutes.  Serve hot.  Can be served with rice, but it is great alone too.

Tip:
Since this takes some time to prepare, I often double the recipe.  Then simply freeze one casserole.  To do this, simply follow the steps above, except double everything.  Then distribute the bacon, chicken, sausage, onions and carrots evenly between two 13X9 inch casserole dishes (I use a cast iron casserole dish with a lid that is oven safe). Cover each casserole evenly with half the tomato mixture. Pour two cups of chicken broth evenly over the casserole you plan to bake.  Follow reamining instructions for the casserole you are baking.  Freeze the other casserole and add the chicken broth prior to cooking.  Simply thaw, mix in chciken broth, then follow cooking instructions above, and remember to add the breadcrumbs.  You can also store the 2nd batch in tubberware in the freezer, then thaw and then pour into a casserole dish before baking.

Serves 6-8.