Braciole Recipe 2

When a Rizzo birthday happens at my home Braciole is always the main dish. It’s his favorite! This year I wanted to try something a little different. Just a change up in the stuffing … like a bread stuffing. My use of flank steak is a favorite but other meats work too, such as round steak, pork, veal. You still can’t beat flank steak for its flavor and tenderness in this recipe.

If you’d like to try my Braciole Recipe 1 click here.

Recipe

2 3/4 to 3 Pounds flank steak (will easily serve 6)
Salt and Pepper
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Cloves garlic-minced
1 Cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 Cup grated Asiago cheese, or Parmesan for a milder flavor
2/3 Cup grated Provolone cheese, or combined Provolone-Mozzarella cheeses for a milder taste
1/4 Cup finely chopped parsley (more for garnish)
5 Cups of your favorite marinara, jarred or mine
15 Ounce can petite cut tomatoes
2/3 Cup dry red wine
Recommend: Serve a slice over your favorite pasta cooked al dente. We like linguini. Spoon sauce over all.

Place flank steak between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper (I used a turkey roasting bag.) and pound meat until about 1/2 inch thick. Do you have a meat mallet? If not, use a wooden rolling pin.

Place meat on a working counter top and sprinkle with salt and pepper, both sides.

Sprinkle the top surface with the garlic, cheeses, bread crumbs and parsley. Roll the meat starting with the longest side and rolling to the opposite longest side. (When all is done you will be cutting across the grain.) Use butchers twine to tie the roll about every two to three inches across the roll. Use toothpicks to hold the roll together temporarily if needed. If you have little bits of meat hanging from each end trim these off. Cut these trimmed pieces into smaller bits and add later.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet (with a lid that will be used later) over moderately high heat add olive oil. Oil should not be smoking but allow it to heat up to hot. Add meat roll and brown all sides. Add the bits of meat from the trimming if any. Turn heat down when roll is browned on all sides and add the marinara, wine and tomatoes. Cover the skillet with the lid. Place into the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Flank steak requires cooking time to tenderize. If you desire a taste remove one of the little meat pieces you cut from the ends earlier. Test for tenderness.

Remove the skillet from the oven, and remove the meat from the sauce to a serving dish. Let the meat rest while you cook the pasta.

Spoon off any fat collected over the top of the sauce. Spoon a little sauce over the roll and garnish with parsley.

Slice the meat, make serving size pieces, 1 1/2 inch thick or slightly more. Cut and remove twine as you go.

Serve on a bed of sauce covered pasta.