BRACIOLE NEAPOLITAN STYLE.- From Southern Italy to you....

BRACIOLE NEAPOLITAN STYLE.- If you're familiar with this dish you will admit that it's worth keeping and making for your family, however, if this is a new recipe for you, definitely worth preparing and enjoying. So what is Braciole? It's thin meat strips, can be beef, pork or veal and I guess you could use chicken if you wanted to although it's not a classical meat but it'll work. The meat it pounded thin, like for Milanesa, and then a filling of Prosciutto, Pine Nuts, Raisins, Onions, Garlic and Cheese like Provolone or Parmesan is placed on the meat which is then rolled up securely, seared and braised slowly in a heavy, flavorful tomato sauce. Nice huh?

Since I decided last minute to make Braciole for tonight's supper there are several ingredients I don't have on hand so in my case I will be substituting others. Bacon for Prosciutto, other nuts for the Pine Nuts and I will secure the bundles with toothpicks since I ran out of kitchen twine. You can always substitute ingredients you know will work or add new ones that you like. Hard boiled egg is traditional, and I may add it come to think of it, but mushrooms, I can see using loose Brussel Sprout leaves or other type of green like Broccoli Rabe, green beans and the like. Imagine it and it might work.

Don't forget that these bundles are rolled up so whatever filling you decide on must be used thin to allow for rolling up, nothing too bulky or hard to eat and will work with the other flavors.

Now to get started, you will need:

4 Top Round Beef steaks, thin (or similar like Milanesa, Flank Steak, etc)
4 Prosciutto slices (or substitute)
900 g Tomato Pure or Sauce, can be canned
2-3 Tbls Tomato Paste
4-6 Tbls Pine Nuts (or chopped peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, etc.), saute nutz in a little oil
4-6 Tbls Raisins or chopped Prunes (if dry put in a little water for 15 minutes to plump)
2-4 Olive Oil
3-5 Tbls Lard or vegetable shortening (Lard tastes better)
6-8 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 Red Onion, medium
1 bunch Parsley, finely chopped
4 leaves Basil
8-10 Tbls Cheese, like Provolone, Grana Padana, Parmesan, Peccorino, grated
1 glass of red Wine
Salt & fresh ground Pepper
Kitchen Twine or Toothpicks

First, take the meat and pound to tenderize with a meat mallet or similar but take care to not rip the meat since you need it whole to hold the filling.

Once the meat is thin, lay the Prosciutto, bacon or what you've chosen on top of the meat, just not to the very edges to allow to seal well, then add the nuts, raisins, garlic, parsley and cheese on top.
Fold the long side edges over the filling and roll the meat up until you have a roll, tie this securely with kitchen twine or secure with toothpicks to allow for searing and braising.

Now, in a heavy bottomed Dutch Oven or similar pan over medium heat, add some Lard and allow it to come to temperature. Lay the meat bundles carefully, don't crowd the pan and insure they don't stick so you can sear them well on all sides. Once they're nicely browned, remove to a dish and cover while you continue.

Add a little more lard to the pan and add the onions to the meat juice pan and saute until translucent.  Once the onions are ready you can add the meat bundles back carefully and raise the heat and add the wine to remove any bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes to remove the raw tomato taste, then lower the heat to low and cook the meat for about 1 1/5 hours. The meat must cook very gently bubbling very slowly.

After the 90 minutes have passed, remove the meat to a covered dish and continue to cook the sauce until it is very thick, about 1 or 2 hours, stirring often.

You can also saute more pine nuts and hydrate more raisins to add to the sauce at the end if you like, at this time you add the meat back into the sauce and allow to cook in the sauce for about 15-20 minutes with very low heat.

You serve the meat by placing some sauce on the dish and sitting the meat on the sauce, having some additional sauce available if desired.

This is traditionally served with some pasta which can be cooked while finishing the meat and sauce and then toss the pasta in some sauce to serve as a side dish. Italians have the pasta as first course then followed by the meat as the second course.

This traditional dish can become a tradition at your house and as you can see it's an easy preparation that anyone can master and once you've made this once you'll be able to see the variations you can make to the basic recipe to make it uniquely your own. I hope you'll try this dish, it's really a big flavor that everyone loves! Enjoy!