Beef Roly Poly Recipe

I was having a discussion with a customer in the store just before Christmas and the conversation drifted toward our favourite desserts. I mentioned the traditional English dessert dish Jam Roly Poly. The customer, who wished to remain anonymous, told me he made a savoury roly poly with beef. It sounded delicious so I decided to give it a try. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

• 1 pack Atora Light Vegetable Suet
• 3 cups plain or all-purpose flour
• Lean stewing steak
• Onions
• Seasoning

Preparation

• Knead the suet and flour together until smooth
• Add just enough cold water to make a workable dough and roll it out on a floured board
• Trim the fat and gristle from the beef and cut into small chunks
• Brown the beef in a hot saucepan with a little oil
• Chop and dice a large onion and cook in a little oil until just tender
• Lay out alternating rows of beef and onion on the dough, season then carefully roll the dough up
• Wrap tightly in several layers of aluminum foil
• Steam for 2 hours (I used a pressure cooker and the meal was ready in 45 minutes)

John's Notes
If I said "get stuffed" you might be offended, but if you try this recipe you really will feel stuffed after eating it. It's a real belly filler. You can include mushrooms or parboiled veggies in the roly poly if you wish. Use your imagination to make variations on the basic recipe. You can also add herbs and spices to the dough to give the pastry extra flavour.

After the roly poly has finished cooking, allow it cool for a few minutes then slice it for serving. Pour lashings of Bisto beef gravy over it and add some peas to the plate.

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