In memory

John Vassallo

It has been a tough week - my wonderful dad passed away on 23rd March. It still feels pretty "unreal".

Dad was a passionate cook of traditional, homestyle cooking. Being Maltese that meant we cooked "baked spaghetti" (Timpana), ravioli, pastizzi... All foods that make my mouth water but are unfortunately not by nature gluten free  :(.
 I have managed to modify Timpana and ravioli to be "Marie friendly" but that's for another blogpost.

So last night I made a traditional Maltese dish,
Beef Olives or Bragioli. They were delicious!

Beef Olives

Sauce:
3 tbsp Olive oil

2 large onions diced
5 garlic cloves crushed
400 g tin tomatoes
1 cup flat leafed parsley roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
250 ml red wine
500 ml water
salt and pepper to taste

beef olives:
6 thin slices of topside, weiner snitzel or round steak
400g minced veal or pork
2 bacon rashers diced
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
1 tbl chopped fresh oregano
1 spring opnion sliced
1/2 cup gbejniet (Maltese cheese) (or any other hard cheese
2 eggs beaten

Heat oil in a solid based, large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer whilst making the beef olives.

Flatten the beef slices with a meat mallet. Put aside. Mix all remaining ingredients together, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Place a generous spoonful of mixture onto each slice of beef and spread it out well. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Place in the simmering sauce and simmer for 11/2 hrs over low heat.