Sicilian Braciole Food

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

SICILIAN BRACIOLE LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil; cook the onion, celery, and carrot over med-low heat, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until vegetables are nearly softened.
• Add in the garlic and cook, stirring 1 minute.
• In a large mixing bowl, gently but thoroughly mix together (use your hands) the ground meats, 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper.
• On a large piece of waxed paper, pat the meat into a 9x12 inch rectangle.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together the currants, parsley, sage, marjoram, lemon peel, and remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs.
• Sprinkle the mixture over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.
• Use the waxed paper to help roll up the meat from the long side.
• Invert the roll into a 13x9 inch baking dish; discard the waxed paper; smooth the edges of the meat to form a neat roll.
• Bake 45-50 minutes or until the roll is firm and nicely browned.
• Make the sauce while the loaf is baking.
• In a large skillet, heat the butter; cook the mushrooms and shallots over med-low heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and have given up their liquid.
• Increase the heat to medium; cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes or until about half of the liquid is evaporated.
• Stir in the flour; cook, stirring 1 minute.
• Whisk in the broth, marsala, and herbs.
• Bring to a boil, stirring.
• Lower heat to med-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Take the meat loaf out of the oven and let stand 10 minutes.
• Cut into 12 slices and serve with the sauce.

SICILIAN STICK TO YOUR RIBS MEAL: MEATLOAF BRASCIOLE (ROLL UPS), PASTA, BROCCOLINI AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put water on to boil for your pasta.
• Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Cover meat with arugula or spinach, prosciutto and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly.
• Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion, and serve. Make pasta while meat is in the oven.
• Salt water and cook off pasta, about 7 to 8 minutes to al dente, with a bite to it. Drain and return pasta to hot pot.
• While pasta cooks, place broccolini in 1-inch of water in a sauce pot and bring up to a boil. Add salt to the water and add the trimmed broccolini. Cover and cook 5 minutes, drain and reserve.
• To hot, cooked pasta add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, butter, ricotta, lemon zest, thyme, broccolini and season with salt and pepper. Toss pasta to coat it in the cheese and butter. Season it with salt, to your taste. Portion pasta onto dinner plates alongside meat roll slices and top pasta with tomatoes and freshly ground pepper.

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.

SICILIAN BRASCIOLE A LA LENA

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil a heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley, and continue cooking until onions begin to brown. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
• In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, Romano cheese, raisins, pine nuts and pepper.
• Pound steak to 1/2 inch with a moistened mallet or the side of a cleaver. Spread onion mixture evenly over meat, leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Spread bread crumb mixture in an even layer, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roll up from the narrow end, and tie tightly with kitchen twine.
• Heat remaining olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown roll on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Pour in spaghetti sauce, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, until tender.

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.