Beef Rolls - Swiss Steak Style

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

60-70 Minutes

~ 2 Hours

Serves:

Level of Difficulty (1-10):

~ 8 Servings

Level 3

About the Recipe

This recipe is a bit of work to make but not very difficult to execute. Nevertheless, the results make the effort worthwhile as it is delicious and looks divine.

Ingredients

900-1000 grams of very thinly sliced beef
680 ml tomato sauce
400 ml diced tomatoes
225 grams (8 0z) fresh mushrooms, sliced (any)
½ red bell pepper, quartered and slivered
½ green bell pepper, quartered and slivered
1 medium sized onion, quartered and slivered
170-200 grams of grated Emmenthal, Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese
5-6 slices of prosciutto ham
¼ cup of butter
2 tablespoons of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 teaspoon of liquid beef stock concentrate
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of oregano
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
½ - ¾ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of basil
½ teaspoon of thyme
½ teaspoon of brown sugar
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

Preparation

Beef Selection

You can buy beef that has been thinly pre-sliced or you can buy an eye of the round roast and slice it yourself. If you have a meat slicer, you are better off slicing your own from a good sized roast. A partially frozen roast makes it easier to cut nice slices, especially if you don’t have a meat slicer.

Beef Prep

Start cut cutting the beef into pieces around 5x5 inches.
Using a meat tenderizing hammer, pound each piece on both sides to thin it out to around ⅛ of an inch, or less.

Vegetable Prep

Put ¼ cup of butter and 2 tablespoons of garlic in a skillet and set the temperature to medium-high.

Once the garlic begins to brown, add 227 grams of sliced mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Sliced mushrooms frying in a deep, non-stick frying pan — Start With Mushrooms

Stir-fry for about 5 minutes and add 1 teaspoon of beef stock concentrate.

Beef Bovril added to frying mushrooms — Add Beef Stock Concentrate

Cook for approximately 5 more minutes.
Add 1 medium sized onion, quartered and slivered and stir-fry a minute or 2 until the onions are glazed.

Onions added to frying mushrooms — Add Onions

Add:
- ½ red bell pepper, quartered and slivered
- ½ green bell pepper, quartered and slivered

Bell peppers added to frying mushrooms — Add Peppers

Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat.
Add 170-200 grams of grated cheese of your choice and mix in well and set aside.

Making the Beef Rolls

Lay all your pieces of beef out on a countertop over parchment or wax paper.

Tenderized beef slices on a parchment paper — Layout Beef Slices

Cut your slices of prosciutto ham in 3 and put a piece on each beef roll.
- It is best if you cut the ham while it is still in the plastic separators so it is easier to work with. Then, you can separate each piece from the pack by pulling on the plastic instead of trying to directly handle the thin slice of ham.

Spoon the veggie and cheese filling onto the middle of each piece, evenly distributing it between all the pieces.

Optional: For an added twist, you can also start with a wonton wrap before the prosciutto ham.

Prosciutto ham on beef slices with veggie and cheese topping — Add Veggie & Cheese Mix

Fold each piece like you were wrapping a candy. Start by folding the left and right sides in over the filling then overlap the bottom part and roll it into shape.

The nicer your slices are, the easier the rolling process will be. In the image above, the beef is shaped like what you typically get from the grocer and you can see the pieces are imperfect. However, the image below shows beef slices I cut from an eye of the round roast. They have a more consistent shape, which makes them easier to fold and roll.

Example of beef slices cut from eye of the round roast — Example With Nicer Beef Slices

Once you have completed your rolls, oil the bottom of a large roast pan with about ½ tablespoon of sunflower or other cooking oil.
Lay all the stuffed pieces of beef side by side in the roast pan. Make sure they are touching one another as it will prevent them from unravelling during the cooking process. They should be all together in a tight bunch.

Beef rolls in the pot — Lay Rolls In Roasting Pot

Brush the top of the meat with sunflower oil then sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper.

Beef rolls in the pot with oil and pepper — Brush Rolls With Oil & Add Pepper

Preheat oven to 450˚ F (232˚ C) – Convection Roast (if your oven has the feature)
Roast the beef uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until the meat has seared.

Oven browned beef rolls — Oven Roasted Rolls

Reduce heat to 350˚ F (176˚ C).
Add the following ingredients, as well as any remaining filling you might have left over:
- 680 ml tomato sauce
- 400 ml diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons of oregano
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of basil
- ½ teaspoon of thyme
- ½ teaspoon of brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon