Angus beef olives

- 4 thin slices of beef cut from the top or bottom round (sometimes called beef rolls by butchers), each about 7 ounces and cut 5/8-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1½ cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 celery rib, minced
- 8 ounces fresh bulk beef sausage
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- leaves stripped from a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 extra-large egg for binding
Instructions:
Beef sausage is perfect for stuffing olives, giving this traditional dish a slightly upmarket feel.
- First, begin the stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and celery, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not browned, 4–6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
- Meanwhile, pound the beef slices between two layers of parchment paper using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. This helps to tenderize the meat, but be careful not to create any splits in the beef.
- Once the onion and celery have cooled, mix in the sausage, bread crumbs, herbs, and egg to bind. Add a little seasoning. With wet hands, divide the mixture into four and roll each portion into a neat oval. Lay a stuffing portion on one end of a flattened beef slice and roll up into a neat log. Tie and secure the log with kitchen string, then enclose in plastic wrap. Holding both ends of the wrap, roll the log on the work surface to even out the shape. Make three more olives with the remaining beef and stuffing. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the beef olives firm up slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a wide frying pan. Unwrap the beef olives, season lightly, and fry until browned all over. Transfer to a large baking dish. Return the pan to the heat. Add the butter and flour and stir for a minute, then blend in the tomato paste. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in the wine. Return to the heat, pour in the stock, and bring to a boil. Stir over high heat until the sauce is smooth and has thickened slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Pour the sauce over the beef olives and cover the baking dish loosely with a piece of foil. Put the dish in the oven and cook for 1 hour. Remove the foil and return to the oven to cook until the beef olives are tender, about 30 minutes longer. Turn the olives over halfway through the cooking. Remove the kitchen string, cut into thick slices, and serve with the sauce.