Braġjoli

Ingredients

Beef

• 6 slicesof beef topside, beaten thin
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoonsolive oil
• kitchen string or cocktail sticks

Filling

• 150 gminced pork or beef
• 100 gbacon or pancetta, chopped
• 3hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 60 gfresh breadcrumbs
• 50 ggrated cheese
• 2 tablespoonschopped parsley
• 1raw egg, to bind

Braise

• 1onion, sliced
• 2carrots, sliced
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoonstomato paste
• 400 gtinned tomatoes
• 250 mlred wine
• 400 mlbeef stock
• 2bay leaves
• 1 teaspoondried oregano

To serve

• boiled or roast potatoes
• the braising sauce, spooned over

Directions

1. Use topside, silverside or another lean cut from the round. Ask the butcher to cut it into thin wide slices. Lay each slice between two sheets of cling film. Beat it out with a rolling pin or a meat mallet. Work from the middle outwards with even strokes. The beef should end up about half a centimetre thick. Season each slice with salt and black pepper. Making the stuffing takes only a few minutes.
2. Fry the chopped bacon in a dry pan until its fat runs. Add the finely chopped onion to that rendered fat. Cook them together for about six minutes until soft. Tip them into a bowl and let them cool a little. Add the minced pork and the chopped hard-boiled eggs.
3. Add the breadcrumbs, grated cheese and chopped parsley. Season it well with salt and plenty of black pepper. Beat the raw egg and mix it through to bind everything. The stuffing should hold together when you press it.
4. Lay a beaten slice of beef flat on the board. Spoon a line of stuffing along the edge nearest you. Leave a clear border of two centimetres all round. Fold both short sides in over the stuffing first. Tie it with string or pin it with a cocktail stick. Repeat with the remaining slices and stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole over a high heat.
5. Put the rolls in seam side down in a single layer. Do not crowd them or they will steam instead of browning. Let them colour undisturbed for three or four minutes. Turn them and brown every side properly. Lift them out onto a plate and set them aside.
6. Add the sliced onion and carrots to the same casserole. Cook them in the beef fat for about eight minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook it for one minute.
7. Stir in the tomato paste and fry it for two minutes. Frying the paste takes the raw edge off it. Pour in the red wine and let it bubble hard. Let it reduce by about half over three or four minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, the stock and the herbs. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper. Braising them is slow and needs very little attention.
8. Return the browned rolls to the casserole. Add a little more stock if they are not. Bring the whole thing up to a gentle simmer. Cover it and turn the heat right down low. Let it cook for about ninety minutes.
9. Turn the rolls once halfway through the cooking. Judging when they are ready is a matter of feel. Lift the rolls out onto a warm plate and cover them. Boil the sauce hard for a few minutes to reduce it. It should coat the back of a spoon thickly.
10. Taste it and adjust the salt and the pepper. Some cooks blend the sauce smooth at this point. Pull out any cocktail sticks you used. Cut each roll in half to show the stuffing inside. They keep three days in the refrigerator.

Technique

• Malta lies close to Sicily and shares a great deal of its cooking, and the rolled-steak technique matches Sicilian involtini directly.
• The name beef olives describes the small rolled shape rather than any olive in the dish.

Substitutions

• Any thin lean beef slice works, and veal or pork are used in some households.
• The hard-boiled egg can be left out of the stuffing without much loss.

Variations

• Some households add chopped olives or capers to the stuffing.
• A version braised in a plain tomato sauce without wine is also common.
• Similar rolled and braised meats are made all over the Mediterranean.

History

Known in Maltese English as beef olives; the rolled-steak technique matches Sicilian involtini, reflecting the islands’ Sicilian roots.

Frequently asked questions

What is Braġjoli?

Braġjoli is a main from Malta: beef olives: thin steak rolled around egg and bacon, then braised. Known in Maltese English as beef olives; the rolled-steak technique matches Sicilian involtini, reflecting the islands’ Sicilian roots.

How long does Braġjoli take to make?

Braġjoli takes 40 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Braġjoli?

Yes, within limits. Any thin lean beef slice works, and veal or pork are used in some households. The hard-boiled egg can be left out of the stuffing without much loss.

What is the most important thing to get right in Braġjoli?

Put the rolls in seam side down in a single layer. Do not crowd them or they will steam instead of browning. Let them colour undisturbed for three or four minutes. Turn them and brown every side properly. Lift them out onto a plate and set them aside.