Roulade – you’ve got to roll with it

Roulade – you’ve got to roll with it

When thin slices of meat, poultry, fish or leaf vegetables are filled, rolled up and braised, it is called a roulade – a dish that has been popular since the eighteenth century.

One of the earliest roulade recipes – veal filled with celery – can be found in Le Cuisinier Gascon, a cookbook published in Amsterdam in 1740. Beef roulades filled with bacon, gherkins and mustard, or white cabbage leaves filled with minced meat are among the classic dishes of European home cooking, while plaice roulade with lobster filling is a dish that represents the best of premium gastronomy.

What is it about roulades that have made them a popular dish for almost 300 years?

1. They are simple. Once prepared, they will quietly braise without needing much attention – provided there is enough broth in the enclosed roaster.

2. They are sophisticated. On the outside a delicate fillet of plaice or tender beef; on the inside the unexpected taste explosion of lobster filling or pickled gherkin – a hidden second flavour.

3. They are versatile. Whether beef, veal or lamb, game, chicken or turkey – any meat that can be sliced thinly lengthways is suitable. And plaice is not the only fish – sole, salmon, tuna and whiting filet can also be used. As can leaf vegetables such as blanched white and red cabbage leaves, savoy cabbage, chard or Pak Choi. There are just as many options when it comes to the filling: mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, minced meat, omelette, cheese – anything that cooks faster than the outside is suitable.

Text: Rainer Meier