Braciole

Harvesting Ideas



Sometimes an idea infiltrates your consciousness. It begins inconspicuously in a sort of, "hmph" moment. You think of it again while getting your hair cut. A chance remark on the radio sparks a connection. A menu item in a restaurant adds flesh to your imaginings. This is how braciole grew in my mind.

I first heard of it on a cooking show but, involved with something else, I wasn't really watching. I heard the name, noticed a couple of the ingredients, and looked up at the end to catch a glimpse of the finished dish. That was around nine months ago and since then the idea of braciole has grown until it was something I had to fix.

Braciole is not a particularly complicated or elegant dish. It's simply a piece of meat -- most often beef or veal and sometimes pork -- wrapped around a stuffing and then braised. Sometimes it's made using scaloppini in individual portions and sometimes it's prepared as a large roast. I had guests coming for dinner last weekend and decided it was time to harvest my thoughts on this Italian classic.

I looked up a dozen or more recipes in books I had and on the Web. I began my search with a couple of prejudices that had already formed in my mind. First, I wanted to do a roast and not individual rolls. Second, the sauce should be based on fresh tomatoes (that's one reason I hadn't already made it). Eventually I put together a recipe.

For the meat I decided on round steak. This isn't a cut I use often. It has a good flavor -- nice and beefy -- but as a working muscle it's tough. Furthermore, it has little fat to lubricate and ameliorate the tough fibers and because it's a steak and not a roast, slow cooking typically just wrings what juice it does have out of it. But I suspected the rolling, which would in effect change it from a steak to a roast, would improve results. I was right.

The meal and the braciole were a success. The meat was reasonably tender and richly flavored with a luscious broth (serve with plenty of bread for sopping).

Braciole

2 lb round steak
3 lg ripe tomatoes -- cut into chunks, not seeded
5 lg cloves garlic -- coarsely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c finely chopped mixed fresh herbs -- thyme, oregano, parsley, lavender, sage
1/2 c grated pecorino romano
1/2 c red wine
4 - 6 thin slices prosciutto

Heat oven to 350F.

Pound round steak to 1/2" thick. Season with salt and pepper. Line with prosciutto, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup mixed herbs. Sprinkle with pecorino. Roll up and tie with twine.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add roast and brown on all sides. Add wine and reduce, scraping up fond. Add tomatoes, garlic, and remaining herbs. Cover and place in oven. Cook for 2 hours, checking one or twice to make sure there's plenty of liquid in the pot. (Add beef broth is you need to replenish liquid.)

Remove roast from broth and allow to rest for minutes before removing twine and carving.