This Maltese staple does not actually contain olives. The word ‘olive’ in reference to sliced meat encasing a stuffing comes from the old French word ‘alou’, meaning lark. The shape of the meat rolls was thought to resemble these birds without their heads.
For celebratory occasions, Maltese families are sure to grace the table with bragioli. Each household has its own version, with some using boiled eggs in the stuffing, and others braising the olives in tomato ragu or adding spice. My recipe honours the dish’s fundamentals, using old bread and smoked pork, and peas to finish the sauce. Serve bragioli with boiled or mashed potatoes and a salad. The sauce is traditionally enjoyed over spaghetti as an entree.
SERVES: 4-6
PREPARATION: 30 minutes
COOKING: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Beef olives
- 250g minced (ground) pork
- 250g minced (ground) beef
- 100g smoked speck, diced (or use bacon)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs, or torn bread without crusts from a continental-style loaf
- 50g parmesan, grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- salt and pepper
- 8 large thinly cut topside or round beef steaks (around 600g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
- 250ml (1 cup) red wine (a slightly sweet wine works well)
- 250ml (1 cup) beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- 150g peas, rinsed if frozen
How to:
To make the stuffing, combine the minced meats, speck, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Using a mallet or heavy glass bottle, pound the steaks between pieces of plastic wrap until 5 mm–1cm (1/4–1/2 in) thick. Thinner is better, but be careful not to tear the meat.
Take an eighth of the filling and place it in the middle of a flattened steak. Fold one end of the steak over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll up. Secure with toothpicks or tie with kitchen string and place on a plate seam-side down. Continue to make rolls with the remaining steak and stuffing. Season the rolls on both sides.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil and beef olives. Gently colour them on two sides, then transfer to a plate.
In the same pan, begin the sauce by sautéing the onion, garlic and carrot with the olive oil over a medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes without browning, then add the tomato paste, wine, stock, bay leaves, some salt and pepper and the beef olives. The liquid should come at least a third of the way up the beef (top up with water if needed). Place a lid or foil over the pan and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour. Turn the olives after 30 minutes and check the liquid level, adding water if necessary. Finish with the peas, cooking for a few minutes more. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Edited recipe extract from Malta by Simon Bajada, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally, RRP$50.
