Braciole, Braciole, and More Braciole – Part Two
Buon giorno!
The BRACIOLE saga continues. In the last episode, we dealt with stuffing it in a very traditional Neapolitan way – thus: BRACIOLE NAPOLETANA with breadcrumbs, grated cheese, pignolis, etc. In case there was any question, there is more that one way to stuff Braciole. In this post, we’ll stuff BRACIOLE – TWO WAYS.
The first: My mother, Loretta, was fond of stuffing things with hard boiled eggs. She often stuffed her meatloaf and meatballs with them – my least favorite as a child, and now I can’t get enough of them – a prime example of how youth is pitifully wasted on the young! My mother also liked to stuff her BRACIOLE with hardboiled eggs, BRACIOLE CON UOVA. To a non-Italian, this might all sound a little strange. It is actually a very easy and most delicious way to approach this stuffed meat dish. It is also quite a tradition in many Italian kitchens. The hard boiled egg stays remarkable intact even when the BRACIOLE is simmered for a couple of hours in sauce. When it is sliced, it is, perhaps, the most attractive form for serving it. When making a large BRACIOLE more than one egg is used. You would use as many eggs as will fit horizontally across the meat. In our recipe, I demonstrate making individual rolls. Either way, you would follow the same instructions for stuffing, rolling, and binding with string or toothpicks.
The second: Another recipe, BRACIOLE WITH SWISS CHARD, is another very appealing way to present this delicious dish. Swiss Chard is sweeter than most greens and quite tender when the stalks and spines are removed. You would use only the tender leaves for this preparation. The Swiss Chard in this dish is enhanced and complimented by the inclusion of some other Sicilian favorite ingredients: pignolis, raisins, and Pecorino cheese. YUM!
I present both of these amazingly delicious BRACIOLE dishes with one of my favorite things in life: polenta! An easy method for preparing polenta can be found in one of my previous posts here: Polenta – It’s So Corny and in another post with a cool serving idea here: Serving Polenta. Again, I will demonstrate with individual servings, but you follow the same instructions when making one or two larger ones.
I don’t know about you, but all this chatter is making me very hungry. Let’s crack the code!!
BRACIOLE CON UOVA
(Recipe #1 – Braciole with Eggs)
Serves: about 4
Prep: 30-35 min.
Cook: 2 1/2 hours
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb beef top round or flank steak – if meat is thick, butterfly it or ask your butcher to do this. You’ll want thin slices of meat for rolling.
Olive Oil
1/2 c. Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
1/2 c. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese or Grated Aged Provolone Cheese
2 tbsp. Garlic chopped finely
1 Hard Boiled Egg for each roll (4-6)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Toothpicks or string (butcher’s twine) to secure the rolls
3-4 Tbsp. Olive oil for browning
Tomato Sauce ( see recipe for this sauce here: ( If It’s Sunday, It’s Braciole)
Instructions
You’ll need a mallet or something heavy to pound the meat. This type of mallet comes with a side with sharp points for tenderizing.
Lay the meat out on a board. Pound with a mallet to thin and beat with tenderizer side to further tenderize the meat.
If making smaller ones cut the meat into 5-6” slices.
Rub each slice with olive oil. Follow with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Place a hard boiled egg at the top of the meat slice.
Begin rolling.
Roll each slice vertically and secure with toothpicks or string.
You can use 2 or 3 strings to secure the smaller ones. If making large ones, use more string or toothpicks.
Brown the rolls in olive oil. When finished – remove them and make the Tomato Sauce in the same pan. For the sauce, link here: Tomato Sauce for simmering and finishing.
BRACIOLE STUFFED WITH SWISS CHARD
(Recipe #2)
Serves: about 4
Prep: 30-35 min.
Cook: 2 1/2 hours
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb beef top round or flank steak – if meat is thick, butterfly it or ask your butcher to do this. You’ll want thin slices of meat for rolling.
1 bunch cleaned Swiss Chard – thick spines and stalks removed – use leaves only – saute about 5-7 minutes in 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil with a clove of chopped garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. fresh garlic chopped finely
1/2 c. Toasted pignolis (pine nuts)
1/2 c. golden raisins
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese grated
Instructions
Follow the instructions for preparing the meat for stuffing in the preceding recipe.
Rub each piece of meat with some olive oil and add some prepared Swiss Chard, chopped garlic, toasted pignolis, golden raisins, red pepper flakes, and grated cheese to each slice.
Roll each meat slice and secure with strings or toothpicks as in recipe above.
Proceed as directed in the recipe above with browning the rolls and simmering in the Tomato Sauce.
No matter which of the stuffings you use, each is really delicious and memorable in its own way. Better yet, try them all! I recommend a beautiful full bodied vino rosso to enjoy with your Braciole – maybe a lovely Chianti Classico or a fabulous Brunello di Montalcino.
**Don’t forget to check next week’s post – third in this series – the crescendo!
PARLA COME MANGI!
Subscribe to my free newsletter
Comments are welcome in the “Speak Your Mind Area” beneath this post online.
Food Photos By Tommy Hanks Photography
Print 
PDF
Hi Linda,
My grandmother was from Sicily, and whenever she made her braciole she would add, hard boiled eggs, pine nuts and raisins to hers, the taste was out of this world.
Lillian – Sunday Braciole with hard boiled eggs etc. is one of those great memories that remains with us forever! Such great flavor.