Braciole Courtesy Of Giada De Laurentiis Food

PORK BRACIOLE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Lay the tenderloins open and flat on a board in front of you. Season each loin evenly all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lay 3 slices of provolone on each loin. Divide the breadcrumb mixture over the provolone. Roll the loins back up into their original shape and tie in 4 spots with kitchen twine.
• Heat a medium straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Sear the pork tenderloins until evenly golden brown all the way around, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate to rest. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine and add the marinara sauce. Nestle the pork back in the sauce. Cover the skillet and simmer until the pork is just cooked through and registers 145 degrees F on an instead-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to rest uncovered for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the sauce.

BRAISED TURKEY BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, olives, Parmesan cheese, capers, parsley, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
• Lay the turkey breasts flat on a work surface. Season the insides evenly with 1 teaspoon salt. Place 3 slices of cheese down the center of each breast. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the breasts. Beginning at the end without the skin, begin to roll the turkey breasts up so that they resemble an unstuffed breast. Tie the breasts in 3 places with butchers twine. Season the outsides evenly with the remaining teaspoon of salt.
• Heat a medium ovenproof braising pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and heat another minute. Add the turkey breasts skin-side down to the pan and cook, undisturbed, until a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the breasts and cook an additional 3 minutes to brown the other side. Remove the breasts to a plate.
• To the pan, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and stir up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomato puree and nestle in the basil. Return to a simmer and add the breasts back to the pan. Cover the pan with the lid and place in the oven until the internal temperature reaches about 145 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and return to the oven until it reaches 160 degrees F, an additional 15 minutes. Allow the turkey to rest in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing and serving with the sauce.

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!

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 - COURTESY OF GIADA DE LAURENTIIS

Steps:

• Stir the the bread crumbs, cheeses, garlic and herbs together with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Pound the flank steak as thin as possible. Add the mixture of herbs and cheese to the flank steak and spread evenly on the work surface. Starting at one end, roll up the flank steak like for a jelly roll, and tie off with butcher's twine or toothpick.
• 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 flank steak and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. 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 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• 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.

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.

GRILLED BREAD (PANE ALLA GRILLIA) COURTESY GIADA DE LAURENTIIS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Slice ciabatta in half lengthwise.
• Then cut each half into 1-inch slices.
• In batches as needed, grill the ciabatta slices, cut side down until they are golden and crisp, about 2 minutes.
• Working quickly, drizzle the toasted sides with extra-virgin olive oil.
• Rub the garlic cloves over the grilled bread, then rub the cut side of the tomatoes over the grilled bread.
• It's important to do this while the bread is still hot or warm, otherwise the garlic won't melt into the bread.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm.