Beef Braciole with Pasta, No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Wash 1 stalk of celery, about 40g, drain it and chop it finely. Put 130 g breadcrumbs, the celery, 150 g parmesan cheese, 100 g provolone cheese and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl and mix until evenly combined.
2. Cut 4 pieces of beef tenderloin, about 150g each, into thin slices roughly 8 cm long and 5 cm wide. Lay the slices on a board and scatter the breadcrumb mixture across the middle of each one, which makes rolling easier and keeps the filling from falling out.
3. Roll each slice up starting from the narrow end, tie it very tightly once rolled, then sprinkle salt and pepper over the outside.
4. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons from the 60 ml of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the beef rolls and turn them until browned evenly on all sides, then take them out.
5. Pour 250 ml white wine into the pan and stir hard to lift the browned bits off the bottom.
6. At the same time set another pot on the stove, pour in 800 ml tomato sauce and heat it through, and heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mince 1 clove of garlic into the sauce.
7. Put the beef rolls into the heated tomato sauce and pour the wine over the top. Seal the mouth of the pot with foil and roast for 1 hour, then remove the foil and roast another 30 minutes. If the sauce does not cover the beef, take the pot out every 30 minutes and spoon sauce over the meat.
8. Take the beef out, cut it into rounds and serve with pasta and the tomato sauce spooned over.

Tips

• Provolone is hard to find in Vietnam. A block of mozzarella or sliced cheddar covers the same 100 g.
• Use breadcrumbs meant for Italian cooking, or grind your own from dried sandwich bread.
• Chicken stock stands in for the white wine.
• Spoon sauce over the beef every 30 minutes if the level drops below the meat.
• Each roll weighs about 150g, and one rolled too thick leaves the center still firm by the time the outside has dried.