People think of beef olives as a bit “old school,” but that doesn’t mean we can’t eat them anyway. We love a little nostalgia, and a Beef Olive recipe certainly gives us that!.
But Sonja often had them on the menu when she was growing up, even though Phil had never heard of them. But it’s been a LONG time since she even thought about them.
That is, until we saw Beef Olives on a menu in the Scottish Highlands. Since then, we’ve seen them in a few grocery stores and restaurants.
Even though we were more interested in something else on the menu that night, we talked about what a Beef Olive was and why it might be called that.
This food has a strange name, so here’s what it is and how to make Beef Olive, with different options for the inside of the “olive.”
Though not as well known as Haggis or Balmoral Chicken, Beef Olives are often said to be a Scottish dish. However, the rest of Britain might disagree. We go into a bit more detail about their origin below.
Their name doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with what you’ll be served, like some other Scottish foods. We’re looking at you, Black Pudding, Rock Cakes and Tipsy Laird!.
However, these are now back in rotation at our house, alongside classic desserts like Cornflake Tart. And we’re not complaining!.
Beef olives are a classic British dish that has been around for centuries. They consist of thin slices of beef wrapped around a stuffing, then browned and braised in a sauce. While they are traditionally cooked in the oven, you can also make delicious beef olives by cooking them entirely on the stovetop in a pan.
What Are Beef Olives?
Despite the name beef olives contain no olives! The term likely comes from their olive-like shape when stuffed and rolled. The most common fillings are sausage meat, ground pork bacon, herbs, and vegetables. Popular seasonings include onion, garlic, bread crumbs, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and herbs like parsley, thyme, and sage.
The beef used is normally thin slices from the round or flank These cuts allow the beef to be easily pounded thin and rolled around the filling Chuck steak and sirloin can also be used by pounding to the desired thickness,
Why Cook Beef Olives in a Pan?
There are a few reasons you may want to cook your beef olives in a pan rather than the oven:
-
Quick cooking: Pan-frying cooks the beef olives faster, making it a great weeknight meal. They can be ready in about 30 minutes.
-
Less dishes: With stove-top cooking, you use only one pan instead of a pan plus baking dish. Less dishes = less cleanup.
-
More control: Pan cooking gives you more control over browning and reducing the sauce to the desired thickness.
-
Smaller portions: A pan is ideal for cooking up just 2-4 beef olives for smaller meals.
Tips for Cooking Beef Olives in a Pan
Follow these tips for getting perfect pan-fried beef olives:
-
Use a heavy pan: Choose a heavy skillet or frying pan, such as cast iron or stainless steel. The heft helps the pan maintain an even temperature.
-
Don’t crowd: Cook the beef olives in a single layer with space between them. Crowding will cause them to steam rather than brown. Work in batches if needed.
-
Get the pan hot: Use medium-high to high heat to give the beef olives a nice sear.
-
Brown well: Brown the beef olives on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. This adds tons of flavor.
-
Make a sauce: A sauce of beef stock and red wine provides moisture and flavor. Cook until reduced by half.
-
Use a lid: Covering the pan as the beef olives braise helps lock in moisture.
-
Check doneness: The beef is done when very fork tender, after 15-20 minutes.
Step-by-Step Pan Cooking Method
Follow this simple step-by-step method for pan-cooked beef olives:
Ingredients:
- 4 thin beef steaks
- Filling of your choice (sausage, ground pork, bacon, vegetables, herbs, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
-
Pound the beef steaks to 1/4 inch thickness and season with salt and pepper.
-
Spread the filling over the steaks. Roll up and tie each with kitchen string.
-
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef olives on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
-
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion to the skillet and cook 3 minutes until softened.
-
Whisk the broth, wine, and cornstarch together. Pour into the skillet and bring to a boil.
-
Return beef olives to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes until fork tender.
-
Remove lid and simmer 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Remove kitchen string and serve beef olives with the sauce spooned over the top. Enjoy!
Tips:
-
Swap the wine for additional broth or water if desired.
-
Mix up the filling with herbs, cheese, vegetables, dried fruit, etc.
-
Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta for a heartier meal.
With this easy pan method, you can now enjoy tasty beef olives any night of the week. The browned beef and savory sauce make for incredible flavor. Experiment with different fillings to make each bite unique.
Things you’ll need to make Beef Olives
- Food processor
- Chopping board
- Food safe twine
- Large frying pan
- Large casserole dish
How to make Beef Olives – Step-by-step method
Yield: 4 Beef OlivesPrep time: 20 minutesChilling time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Layout your 4 steaks and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Add the sausage meat, breadcrumbs, sage, ½ onion, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste to the bowl of a food processor. Blend the ingredients until smooth. Blitz until thoroughly combined.
There are two equal parts of sausage meat. Roll them into a sausage shape that is about the width of your steaks. Place the two sausages about an inch from the end of two of the steaks.
For Haggis Filling – Split the haggis into two equal parts and again roll these into sausages. Place these on the other two steaks.
Starting from the short edge with the sausages/haggis on, carefully roll up each steak, completely enclosing the filling. Then tie each steak parcel securely using food-safe twine.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Brown the beef olives, frying for approx.
2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. Then remove them from the pan and set them aside.
Add another splash of oil to the pan. Add the onion and carrots and fry until softened – about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir well to combine.
Gradually add the wine, stirring as you go. Then slowly pour in the beef stock, again stirring after each addition.
Add some seasoning to taste, bring to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
Let the sauce cook for another 5 minutes. While it simmers, preheat the oven to 170C.
Transfer the sauce to a baking dish, then place the beef olives on top.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
The stuffing in our Beef Olive Recipe is made with sausage meat and haggis, but you can try a lot of different versions until you find the one that works best for you.
For example, you could mix the sausage meat and haggis together to capture the best of both worlds.
To make the dish more interesting and less meaty, you could use Skirlie or sage and onion stuffing.
To make pork mince taste even better, you could add chopped chorizo or small pieces of smoked bacon.
These are the kinds of Beef Olives that Sonja grew up with: they have roast dinner stuffing inside them.
There are a lot of different ways to make it, but here at Scottish Scran, we like to keep things simple.
After all, if your beef olive ain’t broken, why stuff it with something else… or something like that!?
Let us know if you make a different variation!
McCaskies Kitchen – Beef Olives
FAQ
How to cook beef olives from butchers on the stove?
How long should you cook beef olives for?
How to cook Malcolm Allan beef olives?
Should beef olives be pink inside in the oven?