Chapter 1: Bifes Enrolados and The New Kindle Arrived, But I'd Already Started Re-reading Harry Potter Books

Book:  Iracema by Jose de Alancar
Recipes:  Brazil:  A Culinary Journey by Cherie Hamilton

 Bifes Enrolados

(Beef and Ham Rolls)

2 lbs round steak, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup port or red wine
1/2 lb sliced boiled ham (we were fancy and used prosciutto)
8 hard boiled egg yolks
1 tbsp mustard
6 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup black olives, chopped (omitted by me)

Pound the steaks into a uniform thickness.  Mix the wine, garlic, salt and pepper into a marinade and marinate the steaks overnight.  

The following day, mash the egg yolks, 3 tbsp of the butter, and mustard, then season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove the beef and reserve the marinade.  

 
Cover each slice of beef with a slice of ham,  then spread on a few tablespoons of the egg mixture.  

Roll the each slice of beef and tightly secure with kitchen twine on both ends.  

In a deep casserole, heat the remaining butter over medium high and brown the rolls on all sides.  Add the reserved marinade to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.  Remove the lid and continue to simmer for another hour or until the beef is very tender.  This is Cooking Light's quick method for braising beef and I find that it never fails to produce tender meat.  Remove the rolls, cut away the strings, and cover to keep warm.  The recipe calls for just pan gravy, but we thickened it a bit with some flour and milk and ran it through a sieve to remove the lumps.  Serve with gravy and a steamed green vegetable - the gravy was just as good on the broccoli as it was on the beef rolls.  

I have to admit, when I realized this was a "boiled beef" recipe, I got a little nervous. Every time I make boiled beef I have fears of recreating my stepmother's stringy, impossible to chew beef stew.  My stand by offer to buy a pizza if the meal turned out badly was pooh-poohed as my Alabama guests were sure it would be delicious.  Jay and Ben loved the meat and gravy, Obe just went right for the meat; but everyone agreed, this is a good recipe.  I would make one tiny suggestion though, since my AC really only reaches the living room and bedroom, this is seriously a fall/winter dish for all the heat in generates in the kitchen.