Tribute to Jo

 

I could only grab this image of Jo from her own blog, which is still up, loaded with nice anecdotes, her life and some great recipes. She was a gentle lady who took care of her ailing husband, despite her limited ability to walk long distances, and had a great spirit for life. She would speak about books she read, documentaries she watched, her life when she lived on a boat with her parents and her love of cooking especially asparagus. She loved that veggie and would share recipes about this dreaded veggie the whole time it was in season. I can't stand this vegetable and she knew it and we would laugh at our comments. My mom loved asparagus too, but they were all for her.  My mom would cook the asparagus just right, add some salt, a bit of pepper and would coat it in butter but my mom would often add hollandaise sauce to it. I do love that sauce. 

Here is my recipe, not for asparagus, but one I make, normally, at Christmas time...

Rouladen

Rouladen is a very thin, long pieces from the top side of beef-I usually get 10

Salt

Pepper

Mustard(I use Dijon)

Montreal Steak Spice

Chilli pepper spice

3-4 cloves of garlic-minced

1 Large chopped onion

5-6 Pickles-cut in half and the sliced lengthwise twice so have little strips

4-5 pieces of Bacon-cut into smaller pieces but not chopped up.

Toothpicks-the round kind not flat

Mushrooms cut in slices

You take one slice of rouladen, sprinkle the salt and pepper on it, spread some mustard on the piece, sprinkle some garlic on it along with a dash of the chilli peppers and steak spice. In the wider spot of the rouladen, you add some onion, 3 or 4 pickle pieces and about the same with bacon. You then roll it up like a cabbage roll making sure nothing spills out the sides. You close it up using a toothpick. Repeat until all are done. Place them in a roasting pan,  I add a little more mustard on the tops of the rouladen, add the water until they are 3/4 covered, throw the mushrooms in and cook in the oven at 350F for about 3 31/2 hours. 

When done, I take out the rouladen, I get a Knorr beef cube and place it in water and crunch it down with a fork. I get a coffee mug, fill half with water and the other with flour and mix it(no lumps) until I have the thickness I want. The water in the roasting pan is heated and I add the beef cube juice(not the remnants) into the broth until I have the right taste that I like. When it boils I take it off the heat and lower the heat to low. I start adding the flour mixture to thicken the broth, place it back on the burner and whisk until I have the right consistency. For an added creaminess, I will add a little thick cream. I place the rouladen back into the roasting pan and put it back into the oven(it is now off) to keep it warm until the veggies etc are done. 

I usually make red cabbage with this and mashed potatoes. 

Hope you like this Jo even if I didn't include asparagus. I know you are near Matt right now looking over him.