Braciole A Classic Southern Recipe

If you grew up in an Italian-American family, the "brasciol" was a Sunday standby. And it's a dish everyone's heard of, thanks to films and TV shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, where Marie Barone's braciole was her legendary recipe. Braciole is thinly sliced beef stuffed lightly with bread crumbs, grated cheese and parsley, rolled up and cooked in a sauce. Every family has their own version and their own preferred stuffing, but the principle is the same, and the results are always delicious!

The origins are unclear; some say it's Neapolitan, where they often add raisins and pine nuts to the stuffing; others say it hails from Puglia, where it is slow cooked in sauce and served with orecchiette pasta. It's a staple for celebrations in both regions, but we're presenting the Puglia version. (But don't fret; we give you a tip on making the Neapolitan version at the end!)

REAL-DEAL SOUTHERN ITALY BRACIOLE RECIPE

4-6 thin sliced beef scallopine or flank steak
1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs, preferably from day-old bread
1/2 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dry wine (red or white)
2 cups tomato sauce or tomato puree

Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic in a bowl. Distribute evenly over each of the beef scallops. Roll up the meat and secure with kitchen string or toothpicks.
In a large pan, brown the meat rolls in olive oil. Turn to saute on all sides. Remove from the pan, and add the wine.

Deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits, then add the tomato sauce. (If you’re using plain bottled puree, you might want to add a little oregano and basil to flavor the tomato sauce.) Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste, and peperoncino (red chile flakes) if you want a little spice, but go easy!

Return the meat rolls to the sauce, cover and simmer about 1/2 hour. Uncover the pan and let simmer another 10 minutes. Serve the sauce on pasta, then serve the meat with a drizzle of sauce over it. You can sprinkle it with additional grated cheese and a bit of minced parsley, if you’d like.

Want the Marie Barone Neapolitan version of braciole? It's simple: take 1-2 slices of prosciutto and slice it into slivers. Add it to the bowl along with a handful of raisins and a handful of pine nuts. Stuff and cook as directed.