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Passport & Plate - Beef Braciole with Marinara Sauce

USA | Friday, February 28, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced in thin slivers
2-3 slices of top round steak, pounded thin
1 cup dry red wine
1-28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
toothpicks or cotton kitchen string

 

How to prepare this recipe
Directions:
Cook bacon in a large skillet till crisp; remove to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.
Leave bacon drippings in the pan and set aside to cool.
Mix bacon with the cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and enough olive oil to moisten the mixture.
The measurements do not need to be precise but equally balanced in taste.
Add a bit of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Cover each piece of beef with plastic wrap and pound out each one so it’s almost paper-thin.
Spoon the filling onto the beef. Roll, cigar-style, each piece of beef, keeping the filling in by tucking it in at the edges as you roll.
Secure the ends and middle with toothpicks or wrap with kitchen string and tie.
Reheat the bacon drippings on medium heat and slowly brown the rolls on all sides.
Add the wine and allow almost all of it to evaporate.
Add the can of tomatoes and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often and turning the braciole'.
In the last few minutes, add the torn basil leaves.
Alternatively, the braciole' can be added to a larger pot of sauce and simmered for several hours.
Serve with a salad and some thick yummy bread to enjoy the sauce for an authentic dish.

 

The story behind this recipe
As a child my family enjoyed the traditional Sunday dinner with my Italian grandparents. The aroma of the sauce, cooked with grandpa's homegrown tomatoes and herbs, permeated their home. We loved the fresh pasta hanging from broomsticks to dry. We would eat the pieces that dropped off. My childhood was filled with the rich tradition of family dinners.

I remember eating braciole' twice a year at Christmas and Easter. Forget turkey and ham, we ate this flavorful beef dish prepared using their Molise regional recipe for the filling along with the homemade pasta, sauce and meatballs. My grandparents were not rich, by monetary standards, a slice or two of the braciole’ was all we enjoyed, but that made it all the more appreciated. My grandparents both passed away the year I turned thirteen and the dinners ended. Our family life changed and the loss was deeply felt.

When I was in my twenties my father began the tradition once again with our family, which by now included grandchildren of his own. My father was a bit more situated in life so we would all get several slices of braciole' at the holiday dinners. I was living with my father at the time and joined him in the kitchen to learn the “secrets” of how the traditional dishes were prepared. We never wrote down a recipe, so all I learned was simply remembered. In 2004 my father passed away and again the family dinners ended.

I was in my forties when I became a grandma and I realized I wanted my grandchildren to walk into my home smelling the aroma of sauce cooking and feel the love and warmth of family just as I did so long ago. I decided to learn the history behind the regional cooking my grandparents and father made, which included braciole'. Twice a year when I make braciole' for my own family, each person has their own piece of braciole' instead of a slice or two. We've come a long way from my grandparents' poor immigrant status but in our hearts we remain true to the Italian ways of food and family.