Shelly's Recipe

*BRACIOLA*

Category: Beef

Sauce
3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
8 clove garlic, minced
1 large onions, chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/2 lb chopped mushrooms, optional
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups red wine and chicken stock
1 (12 oz) can tomato puree and tomato sauce (add 1 can water)
3 bay leaves
1 pinch hot red pepper and sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Braciola
2 lbs round steak, cut in half
Italian seasoning
Fresh whole basil leaves
Parmesan, Fontina or Asiago cheese, thinly sliced
6 oz thinly sliced prosciutto or ham
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

Paste
2 tbsp softened butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour

Braciola: Pound steak very thin, cut into 4 1/2 x 3 inch wide, lightly sprinkle with seasonings, top with basil, roll cheese around the slices of prosciutto and place on one end of the meat. Roll up, securing with a toothpicks or with butchers twine. Dust the meat roll with the seasoned flour.

Fry the meat rolls in a small amount of olive oil until lightly brown on all sides and remove from pan while preparing sauce.

Saute vegetables, garlic and red pepper flakes in oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients for sauce and let simmer but no boil. Deglaze pan with wine. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking to reduce liquid by half. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and add remaining sauce ingredients. Add the braciola to the sauce and simmer on very low heat for 2 1/2 hours or longer. (Tilt the lid a bit so the sauce does not boil.)

Preheat oven to 200 and place meat on a serving tray and place in the oven while finishing the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the sauce, a little bit at a time, until smooth. Put back into pan and simmer and add the butter paste. While the sauce is simmering to thicken, remove the meat from the oven, and remove the toothpicks or twine and slice. Place on a serving plate and serve with sauce