Thin slices of beef rolled around breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts, cheese, and herbs, then simmered in tomato sauce. A Sunday dish from Naples and Sicily. The sauce becomes a meal with pasta; the braciole are the second course.
Braciole
Thin slices of beef rolled around breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts, cheese, and herbs, then simmered in tomato sauce. A Sunday dish from Naples and Sicily. The sauce becomes a meal with pasta; the braciole are the second course.
Ingredients
Method
- Make the filling: mix breadcrumbs, both cheeses, half the garlic, pine nuts, drained raisins, parsley, and 3 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Slightly moist; add a splash of water if dry.
- Lay each beef slice flat. Spread 1-2 tbsp filling along the short edge. Roll up tightly, tucking in the sides. Tie with kitchen string or secure with a toothpick.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the rolls on all sides — about 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, add chopped onion and remaining garlic. Cook 5 minutes until soft. Pour in the wine, scrape the brown bits, let it reduce 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. Return the braciole to the pot, nestling them in the sauce.
- Cover and simmer over very low heat 1.5 to 2 hours, turning the rolls every 30 minutes. The meat should be fork-tender.
- Lift out the braciole, snip the strings. Use the sauce to dress pasta as a first course. Serve the braciole as a second course.
Notes
Sicilian braciole sometimes add chopped salami or prosciutto to the filling. The sauce (“ragù della domenica”) is so rich from the long simmering with beef that pasta in it alone is a meal.