Ang Sarap (A Tagalog word for "It's Delicious")

Morcon

If you came here and saw the title Morcon but looks like the picture did not match it then dont freak out as this post is not about the Spanish morcon but more of the Philippine morcon dish. Yes we have the same name dish but both are prepared differently, while we know that most of the Philippine dishes originated from the Spanish this one might have only inherited the name as the Spanish morcon is a type of a thick sausage.

The Philippine morcon is nowhere near a sausage but it more of a beef roll or roulade that is stuffed with ham or bacon, eggs, cheese, pickles, raisins, strip of fat and liver. It is then braised, baked, roasted or boiled slowly then served in a thick tomato based gravy. It is one of the special dishes in Philippine cuisine which is nearly similar to the stature of leg roast in the Western world where it is served on family lunch gatherings, Christmas dinners or feast days (fiestas). I remember as a kid I barely tried this dish as I said it is not your daily dinner as it takes a lot of time to prepare but this weekend I have some spare time so I will give it a try.

Ingredients (Beef Roulade)

700 g rib eye of round, whole then sliced into 1/3 inch thin single sheet
150 g beef liver, ground
2 pcs pickles, cut lengthwise divided into 4 pieces
6 pcs streaky bacon
4 pcs hard boiled eggs, sliced half lengthwise
4 pcs 1/2 in x 5 in strips tasty cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup flour

Ingredients (Marinade)

1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp soy sauce

Ingredients (Morcon Sauce)

2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
2 large red onions, cubed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red capsicum
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp chopped basil
freshly ground black pepper
bay leaf
salt
olive oil

Method

1. Marinate beef in lemon juice and soy sauce for at least 3 hrs.
2. In a flat surface, lay down the beef and start placing your ingredients, starting by spreading the ground liver over the beef.
3. Place the rasher bacon.
4. Line up the cheese and pickles.
5. Place eggs on top of the lined strips and drizzle raisins on top.
6. Start to roll the meat enclosing the contents in the middle, making sure that all the fillings inside are intact and that the meat will not open. Now using a cooking yarn or a thick thread secure the meat vertically and horizontally.
7. Sprinkle flour all over the beef then set aside.
8. In a pan add oil and brown the beef roll. Remove the beef and set aside.
9. In the same pan, sauté garlic, onions and capsicum. Add wine to deglaze.
10. In a pot, place the deglazed wine, beef stock, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and the beef. Make sure that the beef is covered entirely with liquid otherwise add water, bring it to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
11. Add the tomato paste, black pepper and salt (according to your taste) and simmer for additional 30 minutes.
12. Remove the beef then set aside, remove the bay leaves then using a hand blender blend the remaining sauce to make a thick gravy, if its too runny because of the water then reduce it further by simmering in medium heat uncovered, if you find the sauce is rich then add some water. Season with salt and pepper then turn off the heat.
13. Slice the beef roll crosswise at least 1.5 inch thick and place them on a plate, then pour tomato gravy on top. Garnish with olives and cherry tomatoes.