Beef olives (bragioli)

The joy of this recipe is that you don’t need the best cuts of meat to make a delicious meal. Thin slices of tenderised beef are stuffed with minced veal, herbs and flavourings and gently cooked in a tomato-based sauce. This can also be served as two meals in the traditional Maltese way with the cooking sauce paired with pasta as a first course.

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1:45 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 large onions, diced 
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 400 g tin tomatoes 
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 
• ½ cup basil leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 250 ml red wine 
• 500 ml water 
• salt and pepper 

 

• 6 thin slices of topside or round steak 
• 400 g minced veal 
• 2 bacon rashers, diced 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped oregano
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced 
• ½ cup grated gbejniet (Maltese cheese)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper

Instructions

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and leave to simmer while you prepare the bragioli.

Flatten the beef slices with a mallet and set aside. Mix the remaining ingredients together well, seasoning with salt and pepper. Place a generous tablespoon of mixture on each slice of beef, spreading out well. Roll up and secure with toothpicks or tie with butcher’s string. Place the rolls in the sauce and simmer for 1½ hours over low heat.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.