Stuffed Eye Round - Abbuttunatu
(Girello Ripieno – Lucertu Abbuttunatu )
The eye of the round is a boneless cut of meat that looks like tenderloin and although it is tastier, it is rather tough and requires slow and moist heat when cooking it. In this preparation, the flavor of the eye-round is enhanced by the herbs, cheese, salami and garlic, whereas the combination of the onions, wine and tomato combined with the juices of the meat makes delicious sauce, to top and compliment the taste of the stuffed eye-round. If you do not want to use wine, double the amount of water. To use this sauce as a condiment for pasta, do not use wine; double the amount of onions, potatoes, tomato and add extra water so as to have enough sauce for the pasta and for the lucertu abbuttunatu.
- Serving Size8-10
- MeatsStuffed Eye Round - "Abbuttunatu"
Ingredients
- 1 eye round of beef (about 3 lb.).
- 4 white onions (about 1 lb.) diced.
- 6 medium peeled and quartered potato
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ½ pint of red wine
- 10 mint leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic cut in ½
- ¼ lb. caciocavallo or a sharp cheese cut in chunks.
- 2 thick slices of salami, each slice cut in 4 pieces.
- 1 spoon of tomato paste diluted in a glass of water
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- few sage leaves
- few rosemary leaves
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Choose a saucepan large enough to contain the meat and the onions.
Pierce the eye round with a sharp and narrow bladed knife and insert one piece of garlic and some mint in each perforation, and follow with the cheese and salami combination.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and tie a string around.
Pour olive oil in saucepan and brown meat on all side.
When the meat is seared, add the diced onions and stir until onions are translucent.
Add diced potatoes.
Add wine, keep stirring and scrape any brown residue stuck at the bottom of the pan, in order to deglaze it.
Add the bay leaves, sage, rosemary and tomato paste diluted in water.
Continue stirring for a minute and add enough water to cover the meat halfway. Lower heat and cook for 15 minutes on each side.
Add the diced potatoes and cook the meat for additinal 15 minutes on each side- or until the potatoes are done and the meat is tender when pierced with a fork.
Every few minutes check pot and turn the meat and the onions, to make sure that they don’t stick to the pan. If it becomes too dry add more water.
When meat is ready, cool it for a few minutes. Cut the meat into ¼ inch slices, against the grain. Display it in a large dish, overlapping each slice, sided by the potatoes.
At the same time prepare the sauce, using the vegetables left in the pan. Blend or strain the vegetables and if the gravy is too watery, quickly evaporate over a high heat, if it is too dry add some water so that there is enough sauce for serving.
Top meat and potatoes with warm sauce, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.