Author Topic: Beef braciole (bra-cho-leh)  (Read 2551 times)

Kingcreek

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,739
Beef braciole (bra-cho-leh)
« on: April 18, 2020, 11:21:18 PM »
Yes, an old Midwest Swede-American white male can cook like an Italian grand mama.
Beef flank steak brociole

1 beef flank steak
1 hardboiled egg
4-6 cloves garlic
Italian seasoning
Fresh parsley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan or Asiago cheese
1 quart tomato sauce or tomatoes

Best if prepared so it can overnight in the fridge but not critical.
For each one whole flank steak, you need one hardboiled egg done earlier and peeled and cool.
Its not much more work or mess to do 2 flank steak but I’ll recipe for 1.

One whole beef flank steak. If it’s a nice thick one, it’s best if butterflied and pounded flat, and if not pound the living snot out of it with a tenderizing mallet until it is as big and flat as you can get it. The bigger and thinner  and flatter, the better. I like to butterfly carefully from the fan end toward the butt being certain to leave enough to hold it together.
Cut 5-6 lengths of cotton kitchen string at least 18-20” long and pre soak in dish of water.
Prepare a thin paste of olive oil 4-5 tbsp infused with 4-6 cloves of pressed garlic (about half a head) 1-2 tsp salt and 1-2 tsp ground black pepper. If you’re not overnighting the meat in the fridge, do this part and let it overnight to infuse the oil with the garlic.
Rub both sides of the pounded flank steak with the garlic olive oil paste. Season the top side with Italian seasoning herbs.
I married the spice queen 30 years ago and she recommended a blend of lightly dried of oregano and basil. I respect her expertise and she has an impressive pantry of herbs and spices from around the world.
Dice the hard boiled egg 1/4” or smaller and spread it for the next layer. You are going to top the meat like a pizza before rolling it up into a filled log.
1.5-2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese spread over the top next.
A handful of chopped fresh Italian parsley.
A half cup of grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese.

Roll the meat and fillings up as tight as possible and tie with string. It really helps to have 2 people. Tie the ends up first then the middle. Try to seal the ends well. If the string isn’t enough use toothpicks to close the ends. (You want to keep all the good stuff inside as much as possible). Trim the excess string ends but leave a little so you kind find them later.
In a large skillet with 3-4 tbsp olive olive oil, brown the tied rolled meat on all sides.
Remove meat when browned and add 1 large yellow onion and 3-4 handfuls fresh mushrooms stemmed and cut in half and sauté low heat until onion becomes mostly clear. Add a little more oil only if needed. There will be some meat cheese and stuff sticking in the skillet.
Deglaze the skillet with a dash of red wine and cut flame, stir until cool.
The next part can be done stove top if you’re willing to simmer for hours and constantly babysit it. I prefer to do it in oven in a terra cotta dish with lid. A covered oval baking dish or roasting pan will work.
Transfer the rolled meat to the baking dish and add the onion and mushroom and all remaining skillet contents and pour 1 quart of tomato sauce over all.
Put in a cold oven and set for 285 degrees.
Roast for 2.5 hours or until 180 degrees at center and let rest covered while cooking pasta.
Remove string and Slice meat 1” thick for spiral rounds and serve with pasta and tomato sauce from dish with a dash of grated Parmesan or Asiago on top, fresh bread, and a green veggie of choice on the side.
And a nice Chianti!
Enjoy

What we have here is failure to communicate.