Traditional Braciole Recipes

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.

BRACIOLA I

Steps:

• Cut the steak into 4 to 6 pieces and pound each piece thinly with a mallet or the side of a cleaver. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon of butter on each piece, then sprinkle each piece with Parmesan cheese, garlic, and raisins, and season with salt and pepper.
• Roll each piece tightly and tie securely with string. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute each roll in the oil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
• Drop these rolls into your favorite simmering tomato sauce for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Remove from sauce, cool slightly and remove the strings before serving.

RACHAEL'S SICILIAN SUNDAY BRACIOLE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO over medium heat
• Add 1 onion, finely chopped, and 2 cloves garlic, then soften 2-3 minutes
• Add paste, oregano and half the red chili flakes, stir 1 minute, then add 1 cup wine and evaporate to ¼ cup
• Add stock, passata, and tomatoes, then add a few leaves of torn basil, reserving some for garnish, and reduce heat to simmer; add cheese rind
• Preheat oven to 300˚F
• In a small skillet over medium heat, in 1 tablespoon EVOO soften remaining onions and garlic to tender and season with salt and pepper
• Cool, then combine with nuts, lemon zest, chopped greens, and remaining chili flakes
• Season pounded out meat with salt and pepper
• Arrange a slice of Prosciutto on each slice of beef
• Top with cooked onions and greens mixture, breadcrumbs, Parm and provolone, leaving a border of about an inch
• Tuck in sides of beef and roll lengthwise tightly
• Secure rolls with kitchen string
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet with remaining EVOO, then brown beef evenly all over
• Add remaining 1 cup wine and evaporate
• Place the beef into the Dutch oven with the sauce, scraping in bits from the bottom of skillet
• Bring to simmer, cover and place in oven
• Cook 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes; uncover pot for the last hour of cooking
• Sicilian Puttanesca with Almond

CHEF JOHN'S BEEF BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Place steaks between 2 pieces of heavy plastic; pound meat about 1/4-inch thick using a meat pounder. If a piece of meat breaks off, use it to patch a thinner area.
• Place bread crumbs into a mixing bowl and stir in garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, raisins, Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, oregano, and egg until thoroughly combined.
• Season steak with salt and pepper; place half the bread crumb stuffing onto the bottom 2/3 of a steak, leaving the top third of the steak without stuffing. Lightly press the stuffing onto the meat and roll the steak up into a tight roll, starting from the stuffed end. Tie 3 to 4 pieces of kitchen string around the roll to hold it together. Trim ends of string. Repeat with remaining steak and stuffing.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the steak rolls in the hot oil until well browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pour in water and dissolve pan juices and browned bits of food in the water.
• Season steak rolls with salt and pepper; add red pepper flakes and bay leaf to the water. Spread tomato sauce onto rolls. Pan liquid should cover the rolls about halfway up.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes; turn rolls over and cook covered about 10 more minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing should read at least 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Remove from pan, transfer to a platter, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
• Raise heat to medium, bring sauce to a boil, and cook, stirring often, until sauce has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Slice the rolls crosswise. Serve arranged on a little sauce and drizzle more sauce on top.

BRACIOLE NEAPOLITAN-STYLE RECIPE & HISTORY - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Steps:

• First of all, choose the right cut of beef; best if top round extra thin cut Milanesa-style.
• Soak 3 tbsp of raisins in room temperature water about 30 minutes until re-hydrated. Waiting for the raisins, pour a splash of olive oil into a pan and sauté 3 tbsp of pine nuts until lightly golden brown.
• Finally, grate the cheese, and mince the fresh parsley finely along with garlic.
• Tenderize the meat beating each steak lightly with the flat side of a tenderizer. It's critical do not rip the meat.
• After that, lay out a slice of Prosciutto over each braciole steak, and spread on minced garlic and parsley, raisins, and sauteed pine nuts.
• Eventually, bend the longer sides of the steaks and roll the shorter side of the meat, tying each braciola with kitchen strings.
• Pour the lard into an enamel dutch oven or thick-bottomed heavy pot, and melt over medium heat.
• Now sear the rolled meat a few pieces at a time just a couple of minutes, until golden brown. This step is critical and can be difficult the first times because the meat tends to stick; if it happens, baste with a few tbsp of wine.
• When all the meat rolls are seared, place in a bowl covered, and sauté finely sliced onion into the lard and meat' juices until soft and translucent.
• Once the onion is ready, add the beef roulades, raise the flame and baste with 1 glass of red wine.
• Cook and stir a few minutes over high heat, then add the tomato paste. Cook a couple of minutes more, then add the tomato puree and stir fry a few minutes.
• After that, low the flame and cook the meat 1 hour and 30 minutes. The meat must cook very gently, bubbling slowly.
• After 90 minutes, raise the meat and place into a bowl, covered.
• Cook the sauce until extremely thick, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, sauté 3 tbsp of pine nuts and soak 3 tbsp of raisins. After two hours, add the rolled meat, and pine nuts, and raisins, and cook 20 mins more, very slowly.
• Serve the Neapolitan braciole over a few tbsp of sauce, and save the remainder sauce to toss the pasta.

ITALIAN BEEF BRACIOLE IS SO GOOD IT'LL MAKE YOU CRY

Steps:

• Unless you have mad knife skills, ask your butcher to slice two pounds of lean beef into very thin sheets--as thin as possible.
• Slice the mozzarella into thin strips. Mix the mozzarella in a bowl with the romano cheese, raisins, pine nuts, parsley, and breadcrumbs.
• With a meat hammer, pound out the slices of beef until they're as thin as you can get them.
• Add a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture to the middle of each flattened sheet of beef. Add a thin sheet of prosciutto. Roll up the sheet of beef to form a roll. Tie the roll securely with butcher's twine.
• Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and brown the braciole on all sides until nicely caramelized.
• Peel and dice the onion and saute in the olive oil and salt in a heavy bottomed stock pot until the onion is translucent (about 12 minutes).
• Add the garlic and herbs, saute until garlic is cooked and fragrant, but not burned.
• Deglaze by adding the red wine. Cook until the wine is reduced in volume by half.
• Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer,
• Add the browned braciole and allow the sauce to simmer on very low heat for an hour to an hour and a half. This cooks low and slow. Be sure to stir the sauce frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it by adding a bit of water.
• Simply mix together the ingredients. Sprinkle gremolata on top of dish before serving for a bright citrusy note.

ITALIAN BEEF BRACIOLE

Steps:

• For the Filling: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
• Pound the beef slices until they're about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay a slice of Parma ham on each slice of beef, followed by ½ slice of Provolone and then place 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center. Slightly fold in the sides of the beef, lengthwise, fold one of the ends in, then starting with the other end roll up the slices of beef, pressing firmly so that's it's good and tight. Secure either with toothpicks or wrap the rolls "gift package" style with some thread. (Remember to remove them before serving!)
• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef rolls, seam side down to seal the rolls. Generously brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the rolls to a plate and set aside.
• Add the onions and garlic to the Dutch oven and saute until they're soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine and bring to a boil, cooking until most of the wine is evaporated, about 3-4 minutes, deglazing the bottom of the pan.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Return the beef rolls and add just enough water to the pot until the beef rolls are submerged and covered. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 3 hours or until fork tender.
• Add the parsley and basil and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve traditional-style, boil some pasta and serve with the sauce either as a first course, followed by the beef rolls and a leafy green salad.

AUTHENTIC BRACIOLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Make your butcher (or do it yourself, if you have the meat mallet) beat the meat to flatten the slices.
• Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of parsley, the raisins, and pine nuts.
• Divide the result between the meat slices and spread it evenly on one side, leaving borders clean.
• Dice the caciocavallo cheese in small pieces and place them in the center of each slice.
• Roll up the slices and fix them with a few toothpicks (seal all sides as best as you can to not let the filling come out).
• Peel and finely chop the onion, the carrot, and the celery stalk.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pan, add the meat rolls and pan-fry them a few seconds on every side, making sure you are sealing the entire surface.
• Remove the meat and set it aside.
• If necessary, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery stalk trite, and cook, medium heat, for about 5 minutes.
• Return the meat rolls to the pan, cook them a few minutes, and add the tomato passata and the tomato paste.
• Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix and taste for salt.
• Cover, lower heat to the minimum (the lowest heat available on your stovetop), and cook braciole two hours (check and add water if needed).
• Serve braciole hot with a few tablespoons of the sauce and sprinkled with the remaining, chopped, parsley.
• Cook pasta according to package directions and season it with the remaining tomato sauce.

BEEF BRACIOLE RECIPE (INVOLTINI)

Steps:

• Add the tomatoes to a blender and blend on medium speed until smooth. Transfer to a medium-size pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook on low heat.
• Next, slice the sirloin roast into 12 thin fillets and pound each of them out on a cutting board in between plastic wrap or a plastic bag until it is about ¼ thick. Season with salt and pepper Set aside.
• In a medium-size bowl mix together bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper until combined.
• Add a small amount of the bread crumb mixture to the center of 1 pounded beef fillet and spread it out across the beef fillet pressing it down into the beef. Roll up the beef to make a roulade.
• Repeat until the beef and stuffing has all been used and truss each beef roulade with butcher's twine or a toothpick.
• Next, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Add in white wine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the tomato sauce, add a lid to the pan and cook over low heat for 1 hour.
• Remove the butchers twine, slice, and serve.

BRACIOLE WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• First heat your oven to 300 degrees. Then get started by pounding the flank steak to make it thinner. Pound it for about a minute getting it as thin as possible. Then dust both sides with salt and pepper. Mix the Parmesan, Provolone, breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic together in a bowl. Then spread them out evenly on the top of the flank steak. Next roll up the steak, and tie it closed with 3-4 pieces of butcher's twine. Tie the twine tightly so that the filling won't fall out of the steak as it cooks. Then melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium high heat, and brown the steak on all sides. This will take about 8 minutes total, turning the steak every 2 minutes. Once the steak has been browned, add the white wine, and bring to a bubble. Then pour the tomato sauce over the steak, and cover it with a lid, and place it in the oven. Roast the steak at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, basting the steak every 30 minutes, by spooning the tomato sauce over it. After 90 minutes, pull the dutch oven out of the oven, and let the braciole rest for 10 minutes before slicing it. Remove the butcher's twine as you slice. Serve immediately after slicing, spooning some of the tomato sauce on top.

BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara 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 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

MY MAMA'S BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Season meat with salt and pepper. Top each slice of meat with a slice of prosciutto. In a medium bowl, moisten bread crumbs with milk. Add grated cheese, onion, parsley, arugula, salt and pepper to the crumbs and combine well. Spread a thin layer of stuffing down the center of each beef slice and roll tightly. Fasten rolled meat with plain toothpicks.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to a hot pan along with garlic. Set meat into pan and brown on all sides, 6 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Add butter to the pan. Add mushrooms to the melted butter. Saute mushrooms 5 minutes. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Whisk wine into the flour and mushrooms and scrape up pan drippings. Reduce wine 1 minute, then whisk in beef broth and tomato paste. Set meat back into sauce and reduce heat to medium low. Partially cover pan with a cover left ajar an inch. Simmer meat in sauce 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer beef rolls to a platter, removing toothpicks. Pour pan gravy down over the beef rolls and serve.

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.