Having moved to New Zealand from Germany 5 years ago I sometimes really miss German food. While German ingredients are very similar to what is commonly used in New Zealand cooking, the way of preparing meals can be quite different. This is a dish my grandmother used to cook on Sundays when the whole family sat together for lunch (yes, Germans like big lunches). It is perfect for those cooler evenings and always makes me a little bit less homesick.
Braised red cabbage: Cut the red cabbage into quarters, remove the stalk, and finely slice it. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into ¼ inch cubes. Chop the onion. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan. Fry the onions, then add the sliced red cabbage and apple cubes. Stir until the cabbage is slightly wilted. Add the bay leaves, cloves and juniper berries. Add a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Add the red wine vinegar and ½ cup of water. Cook everything covered for about 60 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally.
Spätzle: Beat the eggs, set aside. Mix flour, a pinch of baking powder, salt and pepper. Add eggs and water. Stir with large wooden spoon until well combined. Keep vigorously stirring the dough until air bubbles are formed. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before stirring the dough for another 5 minutes. The dough should be quite viscous but without ripping apart. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Use a metal colander with holes at the bottom and put it on top of the pot with the boiling water. Add a ladle of the dough into the colander and use a spatula to spread the dough through the wholes of the colander. Don't worry if the dough is slightly too firm to easily go through the holes, the steam will help the dough to fall through the holes into the boiling water to form short noodles (spätzle). The spätzle will float to the surface when they are done, use a skimming spoon or small sieve to remove them.
Beef roulades: Finely chop onions and bacon. Take the beef schnitzels, one at a time, and thinly spread 1/2 tsp. mustard on it. Season with pepper and salt. Take some of the chopped bacon and onion and put it on the schnitzel, about 3cms away from the edge facing you. Roll up the schnitzel with the filling inside, secure with cooking twine or tooth picks.
Take a large pot or saucepan, heat some oil and brown the roulades on all sides. Set aside on a plate. Fry the mushrooms and set aside. Fry the flour and butter together until lightly browned to form the base for the sauce. Add the red wine, then the stock, stir vigorously to get rid of any lumps. Put the roulades back in the pot and arrange them in a single layer. Add mushrooms. The roulades should be just covered by the liquid, add a bit more stock. Cover and let it simmer on low heat for about 60 minutes.
