Maltese bragioli (stuffed beef rolls)… These yummy stuffed beef rolls from Malta taste like a warm hug! Thin beef wraps around tasty bread, bacon, eggs, and garlic, then simmers in a sweet tomato sauce with peas. Slow-cooked for hours, they’re tender and perfect over pasta with cheesy parmesan. A fun family dinner that shrinks a bit but bursts with flavor!
Serving: 4
Ingredients
For the beef rolls:
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8 thin slices of beef topside (or veal if you like)
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1/3 loaf old sourdough bread, ripped into tiny bits
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4 slices bacon, chopped small
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3 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped fine
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3 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and chopped rough
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A big handful of fresh parsley, chopped
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A splash of olive oil
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Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1 onion, chopped
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2 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped fine
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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1/4 cup red wine
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1 bottle tomato passata
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A handful of fresh basil
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1/2 teaspoon sugar
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1 beef stock cube
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1/4 cup water
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1/2 cup frozen peas
Maltese bragioli: Instructions
Make the beef rolls:
Put beef slices on a long sheet of baking paper. Cover with another sheet and gently bang them flat and thin with a mallet or rolling pin.
In a bowl, stir together the bread bits, chopped bacon, garlic, eggs, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of stuffing on each beef slice. Roll them up tight, tucking in any stuffing that spills. Stick toothpicks in to hold them.
Heat olive oil in a pan till hot. Brown the rolls on all sides, then take them out.
Make the sauce:
In the same pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Cook till onion looks see-through. Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute. Pour in red wine and let it bubble away mostly. Add passata, basil, sugar, stock cube, and water. Let it boil.
Put rolls in a slow cooker. Pour sauce over them. Cook on low for 7 hours. Add peas at 6 hours.
Serve on pasta with tons of Parmesan cheese. Heads up: the rolls get smaller as they cook!