Braciola Recipes

BEEF BRACIOLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut top-round slices in half widthwise so that you have 12 equal pieces. Place beef between two pieces of plastic wrap. Gently pound to 1/4 to 1/8-inch thickness.
• Mince 4 cloves of garlic; slice the remaining 8 cloves.
• Combine minced garlic, parsley, cheese, breadcrumbs, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Place a prosciutto slice over the beef then sprinkle filling evenly over the proscuitto.
• Roll the beef into a cylinder, tucking in the sides to hold in the filling as you roll. Secure with toothpicks.
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Place the beef rolls, seam side down in the pot and brown seam side first to seal it. Cook, turning the meat occasionally until each roll is nicely browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the wine and the sliced garlic. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add beef broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Place beef rolls back in the pot and bring back to a simmer.
• Cover and cook on low heat, turning occasionally until beef is tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours. Alternately, cook covered in a 325-degree oven for 1 1/2-2 hours or in a slow cooker for 3-4 hours on high, 5-6 hours on medium or 7-8 hours on low.
• To thicken, place pot back on the stove if cooked in the oven. Remove some of the hot cooking liquid to a bowl. Add the flour and stir until smooth to create a slurry. Slowly add it to the hot cooking liquid, bring to a slow simmer and cook until thickened.
• Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove toothpicks and serve over pasta with additional grated cheese if desired.

BEEF BRACIOLA

Steps:

• For the braciola: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the pine nuts in a small skillet over low heat until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Cool and chop.
• Combine the bread and 2 cups warm water in a medium bowl, then let soak until softened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water, then add to a large bowl with the Parmesan, parsley, garlic, eggs, scallions and pine nuts and mix to combine well. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper.
• Set the flank steak on a cutting board. Use a knife to score the steak down the middle against the grain, cutting only halfway through its thickness. Working from the center out toward the edges, cut thin flaps from the score to the edge, like a gatefold. Pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
• Layer the prosciutto over the steak, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Layer the provolone over the prosciutto. Pat the stuffing in an even layer over the provolone. Roll the steak around the fillings like a jelly roll, from short side to short side. Tie closed at 2-inch intervals around the circumference with kitchen twine. Tie 1 more piece of twine lengthwise around the meat. Sprinkle the outside of the braciola with salt and pepper.
• For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, brown the braciola on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Remove to a plate. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the wine until almost gone, then add the tomatoes, oregano and bay leaf. Add the braciola back to the pot with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the braciola (1 to 2 cups). Bring to a simmer, then cover and bake until fork tender, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• For serving: Remove the braciola to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the sauce to a simmer on the stove top. Stir in the parsley. Untie and slice the braciola into 6 thick slices on a slight bias. Spread about 1 1/2 cups sauce on a rimmed platter and arrange the braciola slices on top. Add the cooked pasta to the simmering sauce and toss to coat, adding up to 1/2 cup pasta cooking water if it seems dry. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, then toss and serve alongside the braciola.

BRACIOLE

Steps:

• For the beef rolls:
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the pancetta and bring the pan to a medium heat. Cook the pancetta until it gets brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and crushed red pepper and toss to incorporate with the pancetta. Season with salt, to taste. Cook the onions until they are soft and very aromatic, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl, combine the bread and the milk. Toss to combine and let sit until the bread has absorbed the milk and is very soft. Use your hands to get in there and really squish everything together. Reserve.
• Add the garlic to the pan with the pancetta and onion and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt, to taste, and saute until the mushrooms are soft and have let off their moisture, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the spinach.
• Add the onion/mushroom mixture to the reserved bread and stir to combine. Add the pine nuts, provolone and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and stir to combine. Taste to make sure that the mixture is delicious and season with salt, to taste, if needed. Set aside.
• Lay the beef slices between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound with a meat mallet to flatten and even out the slices. Put about 1/4 cup of filling on 1 end of each of the pounded beef slices and roll up. Secure the rolls with toothpicks. Repeat this process with the remaining beef and filling.
• Coat a large, wide pot with olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Season the beef rolls with salt, to taste, and brown them on all sides. When the beef rolls are brown on all sides, remove them from the pan and reserve. Make the sauce in the same pot.
• Remove the oil from the pot that the beef was just browned in. Add a light coating of fresh olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper. Season with salt, to taste, and put the pot over medium heat. Sweat the onions until they are translucent and very aromatic, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and red wine, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and 2 cups of water and season with salt, to taste. Return the beef rolls to the pan and snuggle them into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is very tender and flavorful, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the toothpicks before serving. To serve, arrange 2 or 3 braciole on each serving plate. Halve 1 or 2 rolls to expose the stuffing. Spoon on some of the sauce and garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped parsley.
• Wow! That's a great braciole!

BEEF BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Whisk together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, chopped basil and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil to a small bowl. Grate 3 cloves of garlic into the olive oil and whisk to combine. Pour the olive oil mixture into the breadcrumb mixture and fluff with a fork until the mixture is evenly combined and resembles wet sand.
• Arrange one slice of beef on a clean work surface. Top with 1 slice of prosciutto, folding if necessary to fit the slice of meat. Top the prosciutto with 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumb mixture and press slightly to compact it. Fold in the side edges of the beef about a 1/4 inch. Starting from the bottom, roll up the beef like a jelly roll, creating a cylinder. Secure the opening with 2 toothpicks. Place the finished roll on a rimmed baking sheet and continue the process with the remaining meat, prosciutto and breadcrumb mixture. Once all the meat is rolled, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large high-sided pan and heat over medium. Once the oil is shimmering add the beef rolls, in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to the rimmed baking sheet and brown the remaining rolls.
• Once all the rolls have been browned and removed from the pan, add the red wine. Cook, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the harsh alcohol smell burns off and the wine slightly reduces, about 2 minutes. Next, add the tomatoes, basil sprigs, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water to the can of tomatoes and swirl it around to clean any residual tomato from the sides of the can. Add the tomato water to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the rolls back to the pan and turn the heat down to low. Baste the meat in the tomato sauce, cover the pan and cook on low, basting the meat 2 to 3 times during the cooking process, until the meat is very tender, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
• To serve, remove the toothpicks from the rolls and serve topped with red sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

THE BEST BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Stir the cheeses, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together.
• Lay the flank steak out flat on work surface and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
• Pat the bread crumb mixture over the steak.
• Starting at one short end, roll up the steak (like a jelly roll) and tie with butcher's twine. Season the outside with the remaining salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the flank steak.
• Cook, turning until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.
• Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil, and stir in the tomato sauce.
• Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After about 1 1/2 hours, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• Remove the braciole from the sauce. Cut the twine off, and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices.
• Transfer the slices to a platter, and spoon some sauce over the slices.

BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Flatten steak to 1/2-in. thickness. Rub with 1 tablespoon oil. Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, garlic, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon over beef to within 1 in. of edges; press down. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; tie with kitchen string. , In a Dutch oven, brown meat in remaining oil on all sides. Add onion and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, sugar and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 70-80 minutes or until meat is tender. , Remove meat from sauce and discard string. Cut into thin slices; serve with sauce and If desired, spaghetti and additional grated Parmesan cheese and minced fresh parsley.