Thin strips of beef are stuffed and rolled with pine nuts, raisins, and cheese, then cooked in a red sauce until everything tender and delicious.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time3 hourshrs
Total Time3 hourshrs45 minutesmins
Servings: 18rolls
Author: Four to Cook For
Equipment
6-quart Dutch oven
meat mallet
twine or toothpicks
Ingredients
Braciole
3poundsflank steaktenderized and cut into 12 6'x4' slices
1/4cupextra virgin olive oil
2/3cupgolden raisins
1/2cuppine nuts
1/2cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
5tablespoonschopped flat-leaf parsleyplus a little more for garnish on top
5clovesgarlic, minced
Red Sauce
1mediumyellow onion, finely chopped
56ouncescanned whole, peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed by hand
1 1/2cupred wine
1teaspoonred chile flakes
3ouncestomato paste
2teaspoonsugar
1bay leaf
Instructions
Make the Braciole
Make the filling. Mix the golden raisins, pine nuts, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and garlic into a bowl; set aside.
Prepare the meat. Place one slice of beef on a work surface, and butterfly the steak. Do this by slicing horizontally, lengthwise through the middle to make two flat sheets (don't cut across). Cover with plastic wrap, and tenderize the meat with the meat mallet. Pound out the steak on both sides until it is thin, about 1/16 inch. When steak is thin enough, cut in strips, roughly in the size of 4" by 6".
Make the rolls. Take a slice of meat and season with salt and pepper. Then, place about 1 tbsp filling on the bottom half and then roll it up. Secure with toothpicks and repeat until all rolls have been created. Set aside on a plate.
Heat oil in a 6-qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches of three to six (depending on size), add beef rolls and cook, turning as needed and until rolls are browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Make the Red Sauce
When finished browning, add onion to pot and cook, stirring until soft (about five minutes).
Add wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Stir and lightly scrape bottom of pot, until almost evaporated, about five minutes.
Stir in chile flakes, tomatoes, and bay leaf, and then return beef rolls to pot.
Bring to boil, and then reduce head to medium-low.
Cook, covered partially, and gently stirring occasionally until meat is cooked through and tender, about two hours.
Remove meat rolls from sauce, remove toothpicks, and transfer to a serving platter. Cover to keep warm.
Continue cooking sauce until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. When the sauce is thickened to your liking, return the beef rolls bake to the sauce, heat up.
Prep time to cut up and mix the filling and meat takes about 45 minutes. Frying the rolls takes another half hour or so. Slow simmering takes the rest of the time.