Beef paupiettes a la Catalane (beef rolls stuffed with onion, green pepper and mustard bread)

Cut the top round into slices 3/8 inch thick; trim off any outside fat or gristle.

Pound the slices between wax paper to break down the fibers and stop the meat cooking out of shape.

Season both sides with pepper, salt, a little oregano and half a teaspoon of thyme.

Dice the onions and green pepper very small; lightly beat the egg; mash the garlic.

In a non-stick pan with about 1.5 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, cook the onion with the herbs and bay leaf about 10 minutes until tender and starting to brown.

Add the green pepper and cook about 5 minutes until tender, stirring; scoop into a bowl and discard the bay leaf.

Spread Dijon mustard generously on both sides of two slices of rye bread.

Fry the mustard bread in 1/8 inch of oil over medium heat, browning each side lightly; dice it and add to the bowl.

Mix in the garlic and egg; season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Spread stuffing over each slice, leaving an inch of clear meat at the smaller end and half an inch around the edges; roll the meat up to enclose the stuffing and tie with string.

Pat the rolls dry with paper towel. Film a heavy dish with 1/8 inch of pork fat over medium heat; set the rolls in seam side down with the roughly chopped carrot and onion around them, loosening the bottoms with a spatula and basting the tops with the fat.

Brown in the upper middle of the oven at 450F for a total of 12 to 15 minutes, basting.

Blanch three strips of bacon.

Turn the oven down to 325. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the vermouth and enough beef stock to come halfway up the rolls; bring to a simmer on the stove. Drape the blanched bacon over the meat.

Cover with foil and braise in the oven 1.5 to 2 hours, basting several times and keeping it only at a simmer.

Remove the rolls, take off the string and keep them under foil in the turned-off oven.

Drain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and skim off the fat that rises.

Thicken with a slurry of 1 tbsp corn flour and about 2 tbsp beef stock; bring to a simmer, add about half an ounce of butter, salt and pepper, and cook until it coats the back of a spoon.

Serve the rolls with the green peppers and drizzle the sauce over the top.