Braciole with Marinara Sauce
From what I have read, while both "braciole" and "involtini" refer to rolled, stuffed meat dishes in Italian cuisine, the key difference lies in the size of the meat cut used: "braciole" typically uses larger cuts of meat, of which slices are served, while "involtini" refers to smaller, thinner cuts, often served as individual portions. I have seen many recipes called "braciole", though, that are for the smaller rolls, and, as I found out, if you're Sicilian-American, it's all called braciole. Essentially, "braciole" is a regional term mostly used in southern Italy, while "involtini" is the more general Italian term for rolled meat dishes.
Braciole
Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell
Chef Ann serves this with Marinara Sauce and a garnish of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. While this stuffed beef roll would be good with Marinara sauce and some pasta, the recipe looks good enough to make on its own, perhaps served with a mushroom sauce. See Rachael Ray's Mama's version of braciole.
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced pancetta (Italian dry cured meat, similar to bacon, except that it is not smoked)
1 large onion, finely diced
Kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups day old Italian bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup milk
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound spinach, stems removed and cut into chiffonade
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated provolone
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 pounds top round, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (about 12)
Marinara Sauce
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, tucking in the ends. 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. Simmer the beef in Marinara sauce until the beef is very tender and flavorful, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Serve with the sauce.
4 servings
Braciole
from https://lindalouhamel.com/
Linda Lou says this was her grandmother's recipe for braciole. She used to make it on special occasions. She said she is leaving out prosciutto; that her Nana was Sicilian so it may have been that prosciutto was not as readily available as it is today. She also wanted to keep it as close to her Nana’s version as possible. Although, she says to add the prosciutto if you want.
She says, "Alongside the Braciole, Nana always served a salad. The pasta was served first, never together. My husband asked to have his Braciole over pasta so I’m serving my Braciole today over Cavatelli." Traditionally, Italians always served pasta as a first course, and the meat or fish as a second course.
2 3/4 pounds of Eye Round beef, “Scallopini style (thinly sliced) – 20 slices”
1/4 cup olive oil, reserve back 1 tablespoon
Filling:
1 heaping cup of seasoned Italian-style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese, freshly ground, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
[Optional: You’ll need 10 slices cut julienne style if you’re planning to add prosciutto to the braciole]
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup of olive oil, add additional olive oil one tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
Tomato Sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup of Chianti or any good drinking red wine
1/4 cup of chicken broth, reduced-sodium or unsalted
1/4 cup of hot water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 healthy sprig of fresh basil leaves, torn
You'll need 4 to 5 healthy sprigs of fresh basil total for the filling, tomato sauce, and garnish.
Pasta: 1 pound of Cavatelli, cooked according to package instructions
Start by toasting the pine nuts. Allow to cool. Process the Pecorino Romano in a food processor. Set both aside.
Instructions For The Filling: Add toasted pine nuts, Pecorino-Romano cheese, basil, golden raisins, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, Italian-style breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup olive oil. in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the filling comes together. Set aside
Instructions For The Braciole: Start by laying out 1 slice of the thinly sliced eye-round beef. First place the prosciutto on top of the sliced beef before adding the filling if you're adding prosciutto. Add a heaping tablespoon of the filling. Spread the filling evenly to cover. Roll the meat up tightly and secure at the seam with 2 toothpicks. Continue the process until all 20 slices are filled, rolled, and secured.
In a preheated braising pan/pot over medium-high heat, carefully add 1/4 of olive oil. Arrange the first 10 Braciole seam side down in the pan. Sear for approximately 3 to 5 minutes per side. You'll know when to turn the meat when it easily releases from the pan with no resistance. Once nicely browned on both sides, transfer to a plate and continue with the second batch. Again, transfer those to a plate and set aside.
Instructions For The Tomato Sauce: Drain off any excess fat leaving one tablespoon of the oil in the pan. Still over medium-high heat, add the diced onion, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring frequently, the onions until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and chicken broth to deglaze the pan, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Finally, add the minced garlic, and cook for an additional 2 minutes, allowing the wine and broth to reduce.
Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes. Add 1/4 cup of hot water and granulated sugar to the same can. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Scape down the sides for any crushed tomatoes left in the can. Pour this liquid into the braising pan, and stir to combine. The sugar will combat the acidity of the tomatoes, and this liquid will thin out the sauce.
Carefully return the Braciole to the pan. Add 1 healthy sprig of fresh basil to the pan. Bring the sauce up to a slow bubble.
Place the lid on and cook, on low heat, for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the Braciole is fork tender. During the last 15 minutes, taste the sauce for seasoning.
Cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain well.
Start by removing the toothpicks. Arrange 5 Braciole over the cooked Cavatelli, then spoon on the extra tomato sauce. Garnish with a good sprinkling of freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese and torn fresh basil leaves.
4 servings (20 Braciole)
