Braciola

Thin slices of beef rolled round cheese and herbs and braised in tomato, several to a pan.

Beef. Not vegetarian — contains beef, pecorino whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 8 thin slices beef topside, beaten out to 3 mm
• 80 g pecorino, grated
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 40 g breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 150 ml red wine
• 700 g passata
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Beat each slice between sheets of paper until it is 3 mm thick and roughly square. A thick slice will not roll and will not go tender in the time the filling needs.
2. Mix the pecorino, parsley, garlic and breadcrumbs.
3. Put a spoonful on each slice, fold the sides in, roll it up and secure with a cocktail stick or a loop of string.
4. Brown the rolls all over in the oil, in two batches so the pan stays hot. EIGHT SMALL ROLLS, not one large joint: they brown on every face, which is where most of the flavour of this dish comes from.
5. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away, then add the passata and salt.
6. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, turning the rolls twice. They are small and an hour is plenty.
7. Take the sticks out before serving, with the sauce spooned over.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes