Cooking Resources

sena4171 · 10-13-2010, 10:27 PM

i buy my meat from bristol farms as they slice it 1/8 of an inch for me saves me pounding it. i use the same receipe my father used and he was from naples.
1 1/2 lbs round steak
1/2 cup italian-style breadcrums
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup grated peorino romano
1/3 cup grated sharp provolone
2 tbl chopped fresh italian parsley leaves
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Catherina · 12-29-2011, 10:59 PM

The Soprano Cookbook, has an absolutely awesome recipe for Braciole.
Uses veal cutlets, instead of beef.. The recipe also has a homemade pasta sauce, that the braciole cooks up in. You won't be disappointed !

Addie · 12-30-2011, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catherina

The Soprano Cookbook, has an absolutely awesome recipe for Braciole.
Uses veal cutlets, instead of beef.. The recipe also has a homemade pasta sauce, that the braciole cooks up in. You won't be disappointed !

The whole purpose of making braciole is to use the less tender cuts of meat. Sure it is work. Lots of work. But the end product is a tender piece of beef from a usually tough piece. And the longer you cook it in the gravy, the more tender it becomes.

I grew up in an Italian town. (I think I was the only non-Italian) They never use a veal cutlet for braciole. They don't believe in wasting anything. During the war, our part of Boston played host to a POW camp for Italian prisoners. When the war ended, the majority of them chose to stay here. I think it was mainly because of the foods the residents brought to them at the camp. I have had some very tender and delicious braciole and can not wrap my head around using a veal cutlet for it.

A roll of braciole is made from a very tough piece of meat that has been pounded so thin you can almost read through it. Then you place a thin layer of breadcrumbs and seasonings, including cheeses of choice, then rolled and tied. It is then cooked in a Sunday gravy for at least three hours along with a piece of pork, meatballs, and other cheap pieces of meat that the butcher had on sale that week. The gravy also had some homemade wine tossed in for flavor. It is always made on a Sunday as that is when the gravy is made for the week. Pounding the meat is always Nono's job. He has the strengh to get it thin enough. (Or so the women let them think it) Some use a meat pounder, but most use the bottom of a heavy pan. That is the way his mother did it, so that is good enough for him. Why waste money of a piece of equipment when you had a perfectly good pot on hand. One of my girlfriend's Nona had special towels that she placed over the meat and it was pounded with a cast iron skillet. That sure did the job.

Veal cutlet? Sorry, not authentic enough for me.

niquejim · 01-01-2012, 12:52 PM

I made a large braciole for my daughters birthday last week. I used a cheap pork roast that I butterflied and pounded until it was about 24" square. I stuffed it with what I had on hand, spinach, basil, mushrooms, onions, hard boiled eggs, pine nuts and Romano cheese. I braised it in a cast iron pan with some white wine. I served it with some homemade gnocchi with a basil alfredo sauce

Addie · 01-01-2012, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niquejim

I made a large braciole for my daughters birthday last week. I used a cheap pork roast that I butterflied and pounded until it was about 24" square. I stuffed it with what I had on hand, spinach, basil, mushrooms, onions, hard boiled eggs, pine nuts and Romano cheese. I braised it in a cast iron pan with some white wine. I served it with some homemade gnocchi with a basil alfredo sauce

The stuffing sounds delicious.

niquejim · 01-01-2012, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Addie

The stuffing sounds delicious.

Thank you. My daughter went to Italy last summer with my MIL/FIL and wanted an Italian meal(must have gnocchi) like she had last summer. Everyone now understood why she liked my gnocchi more than any she had in Italy

My FIL who has eaten at many of the best restaurants in the world told me that that meal(with a bolognese over bucatini for the pasta course) was one of the 10 best meals he's ever had

Addie · 01-01-2012, 07:38 PM

I love bucatini. It is a fun pasta to eat.

bakechef · 01-02-2012, 11:02 AM

I have always been intrigued by braciole, I've never made it or even tried it. I really want to try it now!

Addie · 01-02-2012, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bakechef

I have always been intrigued by braciole, I've never made it or even tried it. I really want to try it now!

No time like the present. It is easy.

mkaylady · 03-17-2012, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Addie

The whole purpose of making braciole is to use the less tender cuts of meat. Sure it is work. Lots of work. But the end product is a tender piece of beef from a usually tough piece. And the longer you cook it in the gravy, the more tender it becomes.

I grew up in an Italian town. (I think I was the only non-Italian) They never use a veal cutlet for braciole. They don't believe in wasting anything. During the war, our part of Boston played host to a POW camp for Italian prisoners. When the war ended, the majority of them chose to stay here. I think it was mainly because of the foods the residents brought to them at the camp. I have had some very tender and delicious braciole and can not wrap my head around using a veal cutlet for it.

A roll of braciole is made from a very tough piece of meat that has been pounded so thin you can almost read through it. Then you place a thin layer of breadcrumbs and seasonings, including cheeses of choice, then rolled and tied. It is then cooked in a Sunday gravy for at least three hours along with a piece of pork, meatballs, and other cheap pieces of meat that the butcher had on sale that week. The gravy also had some homemade wine tossed in for flavor. It is always made on a Sunday as that is when the gravy is made for the week. Pounding the meat is always Nono's job. He has the strengh to get it thin enough. (Or so the women let them think it) Some use a meat pounder, but most use the bottom of a heavy pan. That is the way his mother did it, so that is good enough for him. Why waste money of a piece of equipment when you had a perfectly good pot on hand. One of my girlfriend's Nona had special towels that she placed over the meat and it was pounded with a cast iron skillet. That sure did the job.

Veal cutlet? Sorry, not authentic enough for me.

Thank you for this. I still remember my mother's and grandmother's braciole and I am dying to make some myself. I am going to try it soon. I may also look up the Soprano's recipe but I agree that I would not use veal cutlets. That would be a waste of an expensive cut of meat. I imagine you could use a chuck steak pounded very thin.