Garnished Beef Rolls

Beef rolls are a very versatile dish and can be customized in many ways. I’ll provide you with a classic recipe for garnished beef rolls, with an Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 8 thin slices of beef (preferably sirloin or topside)
• 8 slices of cured ham
• 8 slices of cheese (fontina, scamorza, or mozzarella, depending on preference)
• 8 sage leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Meat or vegetable broth
• Flour, for dusting the rolls
• 1 glass of white wine
• Cooking stock cube (optional)
• Kitchen twine for tying the rolls

Preparation

1. Gently flatten the beef slices with a meat mallet, being careful not to break them.
2. Salt and pepper the beef slices on both sides.
3. On each beef slice, lay a slice of cured ham, then one of cheese, and a sage leaf.
4. Roll up the stuffed slices on themselves to form the rolls and tie each one with kitchen twine to maintain the shape during cooking.
5. Dust the rolls with flour to lightly cover them.
6. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil and arrange the rolls. Brown the rolls on all sides until they have taken on color.
7. Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate on high heat.
8. Lower the heat, add a bit of broth (and if you like, a cooking stock cube for additional flavor), and cover with a lid.
9. Continue cooking for about 30-40 minutes, adding broth as necessary to prevent the sauce from drying out too much.
10. Once cooked, remove the twine and serve the rolls with the cooking juices, which will have formed a tasty sauce.

Curiosity

Beef rolls, also known as “braciole” in the North or “falsomagro” in some areas, are a classic Italian second course. In different regions, very varied fillings are used that can include raisins, pine nuts, stale bread, and many other ingredients.

For a more Mediterranean variant, you can add in the fillings a bit of sun-dried tomato or chopped olives, and for an aromatic note, chopped thyme or rosemary instead of sage.

Enjoy your meal!