BEEF OLIVES

I feel pretty confident about making soups now, and although there's many more to try out, I think it's time to move on to a "proper" meal. So from a recipe book I chose Beef Olives. It looked quite easy and it also appealed to my taste buds, so I charged off to my local butcher and bought the topside beef and asked him to slice it thinly for me.

Ingredients : (SERVES TWO)

• 4 Thin Slices Topside Beef
• 4 Rashers of Bacon (chopped)
• 2 Leeks (sliced) (or shallots if you prefer)
• Pack of Organic Button Mushrooms
• 1 Large Carrot (sliced)
• Green Beens (ends trimmed)
• Parsley (Finely chopped)
• 2 Beef Stock Cubes
• Dijon Mustard

Method :

Have a couple of pints of water coming to the boil for the stock while you prepare the rest of the ingredients and pre-warm your oven to 160 deg.

Chop up the bacon into small pieces and then chop up the mushrooms. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a pan and fry the mushrooms and bacon together until they start to go brown then put to one side while you fry a handful of chopped leeks/shallots for 2 or 3 minutes, then mix all three in a bowl. Stir thoroughly. This is the filling for the beef.

Place the beef onto a large cutting board and tenderise with a mallet or rolling pin. Then spread a layer of Dijon Mustard over the beef pieces and scoop a portion of the bacon and mushroom mix onto each one, spreading it evenly across the meat, but leaving a gap all around the edges.

NOTE: I put far too much in mine! Don't pile it on - just spread a flat even amount.

Now roll the meat edges to form a sausage shape and use string or cocktail sticks to keep together. Don't forget to roll the ends over too to prevent the filling oozing out from the ends. Now put in the frying pan and gently fry to brown off the outer surfaces. Keep turning for about 5 minutes, then remove and put to one side (keep them warm).

Now sautee the leeks (or shallots if you opted for those instead) in a pan containing a couple of tablespoons of oil, for 3 minutes. Make your stock using the boiling water from the kettle and then add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes and add cornflour to thicken slightly. I also added a little tomato puree to warm up the colour slightly.

Now place the beef olives into a casserole dish, pour over the sauce with the leeks, and put a lid on the dish. Place in the center of the oven for 2 hours, checking occasionally that the water level is still above the olives. If the water level drops, top up with hot water.

Serve with green beans, carrots and potatoes.