The Best Braciole Food

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:

• 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 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.

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.

ULTIMATE BEEF BRACIOLE

Steps:

• To make the Braciole: Toast the panko bread crumbs in a dry skillet with a little olive oil over low heat, until golden. Add to a large mixing bowl along with the anchovy, garlic, bocconcini, red peppers, parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper, to taste. Stir together until well combined.
• Set the flank steak on a piece of plastic wrap. Make a deep horizontal slice along the steak almost all the way through and fan open like a book. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, gently flatten the steak until about 1/2-inch thick; take care not to tear. Discard the top sheet of plastic wrap; rub the surface with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the stuffing evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Arrange the eggs lengthwise down the center of the meat and roll up like a jelly roll log, using the plastic wrap as support. Tie the roll with kitchen twine in 4 to 5 places to secure - this will help hold the shape and keep the filling from falling out.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a roasting pan across 2 burners and heat over medium heat. Add a 3-count of olive oil and add the thyme and garlic. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Carefully add the braciole and sear until evenly browned all over, approximately 2 minutes each side.
• Add the sliced onions and bay leaves, then stir in the beef broth to deglaze. Add the canned tomatoes over the top, then nestle in the whole vine tomatoes around the braciole. Bring to a simmer, then cover with foil and put in the oven to braise for 45 to 60 minutes. When done, remove the foil and remove the braciole to a carving board to rest. Carefully remove the whole vine tomatoes, with a slotted spoon, to a plate. Let the sauce cool for about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaf, then add the sauce to a blender and puree. Pour the sauce back into the pan and set over medium heat to bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the balsamic vinegar. Remove the kitchen twine from the beef and cut into 1-inch thick "pin-wheel" slices. Arrange the slices on a platter and arrange the whole vine tomatoes around the beef. Pour the sauce over the top, garnish with chopped parsley 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.

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 (PRONOUNCED: "BRAJOLE")

Steps:

• Get butcher to pound the meat thin, or you can have the butcher slice it thin on an electric slicer.
• If you are getting your meat from a store that does not have a butcher to pound the meat slices thin, then place a slice between 2 pieces of waxed paper and pound it yourself with either a heavy skillet or a mallet.
• Combine filling ingredients (except mozzarella or fontina and bread) and the prosciutto di Parma and mix together very thoroughly with a spoon or your hands.
• After the ingredients are mixed together, add the pieces of bread and mix again, lightly.
• Cut each slice in half to make 4 pieces and top with 2 slices of mozzarella or fontina cheese and 2 slices of the prosciutto di Parma per braciole. Then spread ingredients on top.
• Fold in the sides and roll them up longways very tightly, as you would an egg roll, securing the rolls with string or wooden toothpicks.
• Each roll will be about 5 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches thick.
• Pour olive oil into a large and very hot skillet.
• Brown beef rolls on all sides in the hot olive oil.
• Transfer the rolls to a pot and cover with the marinara sauce and then cover with lid and simmer for 30 minutes. I suggest my marinara sauce, recipe #84217.
• To serve, slice the bracioles crosswise diagonally and also in slightly larger pieces crosswise. You can also serve the bracioles without slicing them. Serve 1 braciole per person.

BEST BRACIOLE EVER

Steps:

• Mix garlic, parsley, onion, Parmesan, crumbs in a food processor and process into a paste.
• Lay round steak flat and pound very thin to tenderize. At this point I usuall cut the beef into 2 pieces for manageable rolls, but you can keep it large.
• Spread mixture on beef. Layer the salami, Mozzarella, salt and pepper to taste. Roll up and secure with string or tooth picks.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute in oil, brown on all sides. Remove from pan.
• To oil and drippings a add red wine, tomato products, water, basil, sugar, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Add beef back to the sauce and simmer very for approximately 90 minutes.
• Serve over gnocchi, pasta, mashed potatoes or whatever you like!

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.

THE ULTIMATE BEEF BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Place each slice of beef between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat pounder until 1/4 inch thick.
• Sprinkle with salt& pepper.
• Lay a slice of prosciutto on each one and sprinkle evenly with with the pignoli beans, pecorino romano cheese, garlic and parsley.
• Roll up the slices, tucking in the ends and tie with kitchen string.
• Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
• Dredge the braciole in flour shaking off any excess, then place in the pan.
• Cook until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes.
• Heat the other 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion, carrots, and celery.
• Cook, stirring until tender but not browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add braciole, bay leaves, and salt& pepper.
• Add red wine and cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.
• Pass the tomatoes, with their juices through a food mill or sieve into the saucepan.
• Fill one of the tomato cans 1/2 way with water and add to saucepan.
• Add tomatoe puree, turn heat to low and cook at a simmer until beef is tender 1 1/2-2 hours.
• Sprinkle the basil over the rolls, and cook for 2 minutes longer.
• Transfer to serving plates, spoon the sauce over the top and serve at once.