Grandpa Joe's Italian Kitchen
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More About Grandmothers

12/17/2014

2 Comments

 
When I began this blog site nearly a year ago, I made the comment that there are almost as many varieties of Italian cooking as there are Italian grandmothers.  I used the Italian grandmother for my metaphor because my focus always has been on Italian cuisine, although as you've likely noticed, Ive frequently "wandered" a bit from my chosen path.

I could have used a grandmother of any nationality.  Through the years, I've met and enjoyed traditional family meals with people from many different countries and many different heritages.  Often, these meals were prepared using recipes that originated with one of their ancestors (usually a grandmother!)
– recipes that were always somehow unique to their family's tradition.
FEATURED RECIPE
Rouladen

Picture
Grandma Karen's Rouladen.

I could have used Grandma Karen's grandmothers, for example.  They both emigrated from Germany at a young age and raised multiple children.  They both enjoyed cooking and served a variety of traditional German dishes.  Like my grandmothers, they never let a guest leave their house hungry!  They also were great teachers.  I can't speak for their sons, but they certainly taught their daughters how to cook.  One of those traditional dishes, Rouladen, was one of my mother-in-law's specialties and it quickly became one of my favorites.

Rouladen is as delicious as it is simple
– rolled beefsteak filled with onion and bacon, and served with a rich brown sauce over mashed potatoes.  I came to learn, however, that not every German grandmother prepares it the same way.  At the time, nearly 50 years ago, that was a surprise to me.  Now, of course, it is exactly what I would expect.  Fortunately, Rouladen was (and is) one of Grandma Karen's favorites as well.  She "learned" how to prepare her family's version of Rouladen from her mother, but she was the first to create an actual written recipe.  With her permission, I am sharing her recipe with you now.  I just know that if you try it, you will think it is very special, too.

Buon appetito.
2 Comments
Eric Ziegel
12/17/2014 12:11:58 am

Do I have to be a foody to reply? I am the cook but am definitely not a chef. Fresh food, healthy and quick, would be an apt description. This is a wonderfully impressive web site. You probably can publish the hardcover version some day. It was great to hear from you. My letter follows tomorrow. I would like a website of my own some day. I certainly will look forward to my emails! Eric

Reply
Grandpa Joe
12/17/2014 08:32:19 am

Greetings Eric,

You do not need to be a foodie to reply, but if you are focused on healthy and quick you actually qualify in my mind! Thank you for the kind words. As for the book, I have all that I can handle with the web site, but I do appreciate the thought.

GJ

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    Hobby Chef Grandpa Joe has been practicing Italian-style cooking for over 60 years.  He enjoys cooking, entertaining, and sharing culinary experiences with family and friends.

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