CHEF Myrna Segismundo, a multi-awarded Filipino chef who has made great strides in the promotion of Filipino cuisine, was the featured chef in the most recent Culinary Elite Series cooking session of The Maya Kitchen.
Stressing that Filipino food does not need to be made gourmet or fused with other cuisines to be good, Chef Myrna lined up five Filipino dishes for her cooking demo, and one of them was Morcon a la Emilia.
The dish is a tribute to her mother, from whom Chef Myrna learned her very first lessons in cooking, as she was a good cook and served her big brood with good food every mealtime. The recipe of the hearty and filling dish is shared here.
2 kgs. beef sirloin, cut into 2 portions, each measuring 8x5x1/2 inches
juice from 2 pcs. lemons or limes or 10 pcs. calamansi
1 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. black peppercorns, cracked
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8-10 pcs. sweet pickles, quartered
4-6 pcs. Spanish sausages (chorizo), each cut into 4 horizontal strips
200 grams pork fat, cut into 1/4×2-inch strips
1/3 kg. Edam cheese or queso de bola, cut into 1/4×2-inch strips
150 grams ham strips
1 can pimiento, sliced into strips
5 eggs, boiled, peeled and cut into wedges
butcher’s thread
2 pcs. white onion, minced, sautéed in a little oil
4 pcs. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped, sautéed in a little oil
enough water to cover meat
1 cup tomato sauce
3 pcs. potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup green olives
salt and pepper to taste
1. Marinate beef slices in lemon, lime or calamansi juice, soy sauce, garlic and pepper for 2 hours.
2. Remove beef from marinade and spread slices flat on a tray. Reserve marinade.
3. Spread butter on the top side of each slice of beef. Then line the buttered slice of beef with strips of pickles, sausages, pork fat, cheese, ham, pimientos and boiled eggs. Roll each slice into a cylinder and tie with butcher’s thread to bind beef and stuffing together. Rub and coat rolls with sautéed onions and tomatoes.
4. Place beef rolls in a pot or casserole. Pour marinade over the rolls. Add water and tomato sauce.
5. Cook rolls, covered, over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until sauce thicks and beef is half-done. Add quartered potatoes and olives, and continue simmering until beef is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cool beef rolls thoroughly. Remove string. Carefully slice the rolled beef into half-inch thick cuts, making sure the stuffing is intact.
7. Arrange slices neatly on a platter. Heat sauce with potatoes and olives. Pour sauce over slices and garnish with potatoes and olives. Serve warm.
Serves 4 to 6.
