Braciole

Braciole (pronounced - bra-SCHO-lay or bra-SCHOL in Americanized Italian) is another one of those Italian classics that has a basic style - thin sliced meat packed with a filling and rolled but with many variations - someone's mother/nana/aunt made it with pork instead of beef, made it with a layer of prosciutto in the stuffing, someone else used a layer of salami instead, some added raisins or currents, pine nuts, crushed pistachios, some used parmesan cheese, some used pecorino cheese, on and on.

I decided to make this blog post about braciole following a disappointing experience at a local Italian restaurant that we really like. Lisa wanted to try their braciole. When it was served, it was not what we expected, it was more like an oblong meat ball wrapped in a Steak-Umm sitting in a thin beef gravy. And it was very bland like an unseasoned hamburger patty.

This is our version. We know you will love it! Serve with pasta and a good tomato sauce.

For four -

4  6" x 10" pieces top round beef thin sliced about 1/4 thick 
2 full cups coarse bread crumbs - homemade from good crusty country bread like ciabatta 
24 pieces thin sliced sopressata or hard salami
1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Cheese - divided
5 or 6 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp Herbes de Provance
1 tsp Crushed fennel seeds
Olive oil

Parsley

1/2 cup Raisins - chopped

1/2 cup Pine Nuts - toasted

1 box of spaghetti or other long pasta

Salt and Pepper

For the sauce -

2 15 oz cans peeled whole tomatoes with their sauce. Add whatever herbs and seasonings you typically use to make your favorite tomato sauce.

Sautee the garlic until just lightly colored. Then add the bread crumbs, stir together and lightly toast.

Pecorino cheese

- I like to take a meat hammer to the beef, pounding it to make it a little thinner and reshape if necessary.

Layer the beef slices with the sopressata 

Top with the bread crumbs, pine nuts, raisins, herbs and cheese

Roll it all up and secure with toothpicks or tie with string

Brown the braciole up well -

Click to see the video -

Take out the browned up braciole and deglaze the pan with a little red wine. I like Sicilian Nero D'Avola or a Primitivo from Puglia. Add the wine and deglazed bits to the sauce!!!!  :)  Then add the braciole. Have the rest of the wine with dinner.

Simmer in the sauce for at least an hour -

Tip - I like to pull the braciole out and set on a plate while the pasta is boiling to al dente then drain the pasta and add to the sauce to continue cooking so the sauce gets into the noodles.

Plate up with the pasta -