Bragioli
“Maltese beef olives — thin slices of beef rolled around a stuffing of bacon, hard-boiled egg, breadcrumbs, and parsley, then braised slowly in a red-wine-and-tomato gravy until tender.”
Where it comes from
Bragioli (beef olives) are a Maltese Sunday classic, the name from the Sicilian braciole. The parcels are browned and braised low and slow, the egg-and-bacon stuffing a hallmark.
On the plate
Slice a bragiol and the spiral reveals a core of egg and bacon set in tender beef, all glossed in a dark wine-and-tomato gravy. Bite: the beef is meltingly soft from the slow braise, the stuffing savory and rich with bacon and egg, the breadcrumbs soaking up the gravy, the sauce deep and slightly sweet. A homely, generous Sunday plate built for mopping with bread.
How it works
Pounding the beef thin lets it roll tightly and cook tender; tying holds the parcel. Browning builds a crust and fond for the gravy. The breadcrumbs in the stuffing absorb juices and keep the center moist, while slow braising turns the lean beef silky and melds the wine-tomato sauce.
Variations
With olives in the stuffing. Pork bragioli. With peas in the gravy. Stuffed with sausage meat. Served over spaghetti. With a clove-and-cinnamon-spiced gravy.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓45 min active · 75 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 110 min
Pound 4 large thin beef slices flat between sheets of plastic.
- 28 min
Mix 100 g chopped bacon, 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs, 60 g breadcrumbs, parsley, and pepper into a stuffing.
- 312 min
Spread stuffing on each beef slice, roll up, and tie with string.
- 48 min
Brown the rolls in 3 tbsp olive oil; remove.
- 56 min
Soften 1 sliced onion; stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook 2 min.
- 64 min
Add 250 ml red wine, 2 chopped tomatoes, and 1 bay leaf; bring to a simmer.
- 778 min
Return the rolls; cover and braise gently 75 min, turning once, until tender.
- 86 min
Remove strings, slice, and serve with the gravy over mashed potato or with bread.
