The braciola, stuffed beef rolled and braised, was and still is part of the Sunday pasta sauce tradition in many Italian American homes across America. If you travel through the Italian communities around America today and ask people, “What dish do you remember eating at home on Sunday?,” the answer is often pasta with braciole and meatballs. Meat was far more available in America than back home in Italy, and adding it to a tomato sauce enhanced the ritual Sunday meal, when the whole family was assembled around the table. A braciola is easy to make: once you have gathered all the ingredients and rolled them into a thin beef slice, it cooks in the tomato sauce for several hours, rendering a delicious pasta sauce to coat some rigatoni and fork-tender braciole to eat with braised escarole and olive-oil-mashed potatoes.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a bowl, and let soak while you slice the beef.
Step 2
Slice the beef into 2-to-3-ounce slices (ideally, you want twelve pieces). Pound the slices all over with a mallet to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. If slices tear, don’t worry—you can patch as necessary, by overlapping the torn pieces of meat.
Step 3
For the filling: Squeeze the excess milk from the bread, and put the bread in a large bowl. Add the parsley, eggs, pine nuts, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt to the bread bowl. Season with pepper.
Step 4
Lay the pounded beef slices out flat on your work surface, and season with salt. Evenly divide the filling among the slices, approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons for each slice, then spread to within 1 inch of the edge on all slices. Put a piece of provola cheese lengthwise in the middle of each slice. Roll the slices lengthwise, and pin the rolls closed with toothpicks by pinching the meat.
Step 5
Heat the remaining oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the braciole with salt, and add to the pot to brown on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, in batches if necessary. Remove the browned braciole to a plate, and toss the onion into the pot. Cook until the onion is softened, about 4 to 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook a minute or two, until the garlic is sizzling, then pour the white wine into the pot. Increase heat, bring to a boil, and cook until the wine is almost evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes. Slosh out the tomato cans with 1 cup hot water each and add that as well. Season with the oregano, peperoncino, and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt.
Step 6
Return the sauce to a boil, return the beef rolls to the pot, and adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cover, and cook until the braciole are very tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If the sauce is too thin, remove the braciole to a plate and reduce the sauce over high heat until it thickens to a gravy consistency.
