Braciole Recipe – Italian Meat Rolls

I’m guessing that the traditional braciole is made from beef, but I’m also assuming that you can substitute any mammal. I don’t think chicken is allowed by the Italian police. BUT, I bet duck would be really good.

I used pork, specifically, pork tenderloin.

I never had braciole growing up but a lot of my friends talked about it. Then there was that “Everybody loves Raymond” episode where Debra makes an amazing braciole.

I’ve seen it in butcher shops and supermarkets, but didn’t know what the big deal was, until I ordered it at Aldi La in East Rutherford. They had both pork and beef, and recommended the pork. It was awesome!

http://www.aldilaitalianbistro.com/ By the way – the vodka sauce at Aldi La is probably the best I’ve ever had.

I decided to use pork for mine because I did a lot of beef things recently and because my neighbor Dave does not eat beef, but he’ll love this.

You’ll need a dutch oven or stock pot that can go in the oven.

Ingredients: – to serve two people of human proportions

For the meat rolls:

1 pound of thinly sliced pounded flat meat – is used pork tenderloin – take a look at the video to see how I did it.
1 cup of breadcrumbs (I used Carmines breadcrumbs)
3 cloves of garlic crushed and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
2 teaspoons grated parmigiana
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

( you can add any herbs or other cheeses that you like here – hell add a piece of prosciutto if you like)

For the sauce:

1 medium onion diced
1 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning
A few grinds of fresh black pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°

Cut the pork tenderloin in half and then butterfly (actually more like an un-fan cut) each half to make about a 6 x 9 inch rectangle

Cover with plastic and then pound it thin and to even thickness to form a nice cutlet like piece of meat.

Caress each cutlet with a teaspoon of olive oil

Season lightly with salt and pepper

Spread half of the garlic on each cutlet

Sprinkle a tea spoon of parmigiana on each cutlet

Spread half of parsley on each cutlet

Spread ½ cup of bread crumbs on each cutlet

Roll each cutlet up like a jelly roll

Tie them shut

Season each meat roll with a little salt and pepper and then sear them on all sides

Remove the meat rolls from the pan

Add a little more olive oil saute the onions

Season the onions with a little bit of salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes until they soften and develop some color

Hand crush the tomatoes into the pot

Add the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning

Add the meat rolls and coat them with the sauce.

Cover the pot and place it in the oven for about 90 minutes

Start the pasta when the braciole is just about ready to come out of the oven.

I served mine with Gemelli pasta. Instead of straining the pasta like I usually do, I boiled it for 12 minutes and then finished cooking it in some of the braciole sauce in a separate pan.

Slice the braciole cross wise to show off the lovely pinwheel design.

I also served a cucumber tomato salad on the side.

It was a delicious and simple meal, discounting the 90 minute bake time.