I love sharing recipes from home, and this one is no different. A staple in most Maltese households, braġioli, or beef olives, are served with a side of mashed potatoes or rice, and are the ultimate comfort food.
The below recipe will serve 4 people.
Ingredients
Braġioli
4 slices thin cut beef steaks
4 slices bacon
4 slices ham
50gr parmesan
2 tbsp parsley
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce
1 large white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can marrowfat peas (approx. 300gr)
500gr tomato passata
Beef stock cube
1 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. Assembling the braġioli. Hard boil the eggs. Set the 4 thin cut beef steaks on a chopping board and cover in plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderiser or rolling pin, tenderise the meat to get it even thinner. Due to how we'll be using the meat, it needs to be as thin as possible without tearing. Take your time with this step - being too rough will create tears. The meat should be around 1-2mm thick.
2. Set the meat down on a clean surface. Place a strip of bacon down on each piece of meat, then a piece of ham. Cut the parmesan into thin strips (I personally like using a vegetable peeler for this) and place them on top of the ham.
3. Cut the hard boiled eggs into small pieces and distribute evenly over the meat.
4. Chop the parsley finely and crush the garlic, mixing together in a small bowl. Distribute evenly over the meat. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
5. The folding is tricky, but my motto for this bit is don't aim for perfect. With toothpicks at hand, or long wooden skewers, go slow and it'll work. I'll be referring to the below doodle to help explain. Pretend the pink oval is the meat base (inc. the bacon and ham), and the green circle is the filling. Starting with side 1, fold that towards the middle, and repeat with side 2. Take side 3 and fold it over slightly, rolling it until you've got a parcel. Don't worry if some bits aren't nice and tight - this is why we've got the toothpicks/skewers. Use these to close up any bits that may be poking out. Don't worry about it not being perfect - searing off the meat will make everything a bit more stable.
6. Prepping the sauce. Chop the garlic and onion finely. Set aside. Rinse and drain the marrowfat peas and set aside.
7. Getting it all together. Heat up some oil in a large pan and set the meat parcels in to sear them off on each side. Once they've gotten some colour, take out of the pan and set aside.
8. Using the same pan, saute the onions until around translucent and add the garlic. Add the passata, tomato paste, and beef stock cube. Once the tomato paste and beef stock have dissolved, add the marrowfat peas and some salt and pepper to taste. Place the braġioli back into the pan with the sauce and allow to simmer and reduce, turning the braġioli every so often. This should take around 30-40 minutes, depending on how thick you'd like the sauce.
9. Serve piping hot with rice, couscous, or mashed potatoes. Don't forget to warn about the toothpicks!
Recreating this recipe? Tag me on instagram @juliawgr!
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