Bragioli (beef olives)

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. SERVES 46 | PREP 30 MINS | COOK 1 HR 15 MINS | EASY

250g minced pork

250g minced beef

100g smoked speck or bacon, diced

1 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

50g fresh breadcrumbs

50g parmesan, grated

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

8 thinly cut topside or round beef steaks (600g total)

1 tbsp olive oil

SAUCE

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tomato purée

250ml red wine (a slightly sweet wine works well) 250ml beef stock

2 bay leaves

150g peas, rinsed if frozen

1 To make the stuffing, combine the minced meats, speck, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley in a large bowl. Season well and mix thoroughly.

2 Using a mallet or heavy glass bottle, pound the steaks between pieces of baking paper until 5mm-1cm thick – thinner is better but be careful not to tear the meat. Take an eighth of the filling and put 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 put on a plate, seam-side down. Continue to make rolls with the remaining steaks and stuffing. Season the rolls on both sides.

3 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 frying the onion, garlic and carrot with the olive oil over a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins without browning, then add the tomato purée, wine, stock, bay, some seasoning and the beef olives. The liquid should come at least a third of the way up the beef, so top up with water if needed.

4 Put a lid over the pan and simmer over a low heat for

1 hr. Turn the olives after 30 mins 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 mins before serving. PER SERVING (6) 573 kcals | fat 32.9G saturates 13.2G | carbs 12.1G | sugars 6.1G fibre 3.7G | protein 47.5G | salt 1.1G