Braciole

Preparation

1) Place the flank steak in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, using a meat mallet or a small heavy duty skillet, pound the meat to ¼ inch thickness. (For demonstration on how to pound the meat watch the video to understand the correct way to do it.)

2) In a medium bowl, toss together the bread crumbs, all the cheeses, garlic,
parsley, raw egg, prosciutto and 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Mix all the ingredients to combine and season with pepper and just a touch of salt because all the cheeses and prosciutto are very salty.

3) Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. (Roll the steak making sure you roll with the grain not against it so that when you serve it you cut against the grain and get beautiful even slices and not shoe string!)

4) Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick deep pot on medium heat ( if you don’t have a nonstick deep pot , just use a large nonstick skillet to brown the braciole and then continue to cooking process into a different deep pot)

5) Brown the braciole for 4 to 5 minutes. Once the braciole has browned remove it to a plate and using remaining oil drippings sauté the onion until tender and translucent about 4 to 5 minutes, add the braciole in with the onions and add the red wine. Let the wine cook for just a minute so that the alcohol can cook out and add the crushed tomatoes. (If the crushed tomatoes are very think add ½ cup of water to the pan as well to thin it out slightly) season with salt and pepper to taste.

6) Place a lid on the pan an turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning it 3 times during cooking, for even cooking and this also helps to keep the braciole moist and tender all around.

7) Once the braciole has cooked remove from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving it. Add the fresh basil to the sauce and continue to cook it for 5 more minutes. (Wile the braciole is resting bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil and cook some rigatoni or penne pasta to soak up all that delicious sauce, for a complete meal!)

8) Ladle some of the sauce on a platter and place the sliced braciole over the sauce. Spoon some more sauce over top and to keep it moist and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve with a side of pasta and fresh crusty Italian bread! Even if you’re not Italian this dish will make an Italian out of you!

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