Braised Braciole

Submitted by Valerie in Florida

"Recipe courtesy of the Food Network. Even my Italian Dad was proud."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 cups cubed day-old Italian bread
• 1 cup milk
• 1⁄2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1⁄2 cup grated romano cheese
• 4 garlic cloves, slivered
• 1⁄2 lb capicola, diced
• 1⁄2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1⁄2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water to rehydrate then drained
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 4 lbs veal, breast (alternatively may use beef top round)
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and quartered
• 1 cup red wine, for braising (optional)
• tomato sauce, for braising (optional)

directions

1. Prepare the bread stuffing by soaking the bread in milk for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk with your hands then put the bread in a clean mixing bowl. Add parsley, cheese, garlic, copacola, pine nuts, and raisins. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil to moisten and mix thoroughly.
2. Set the veal on a piece of plastic wrap. Make a deep slice along the veal breast and fan open like a book. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. Using the smooth side of a mallet, gently flatten the veal until it's about 1/2-inch thick; take care not to tear. Discard the top sheet of plastic wrap; rub the surface with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the stuffing evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Place the eggs lengthwise down the center of the meat and roll up like a jellyroll log, using the plastic wrap as support. Tie the roll with kitchen string to secure.
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Brown the stuffed veal roast well on all sides. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 1 hour.
4. Alternatively, deglaze with red wine, then pour tomato sauce on top to cover the braciole. Cover the pan and gently simmer for about 1 hour until tender.
5. To serve, remove the strings from the veal bundle and cut into 1-inch slices. Arrange on a serving platter, with or without sauce.

Reviews

[Srt]

Valerie, this was very delicious! I did have to make three substitutions: used "Craisins" aka sundried, sweetened cranberries, used bacon instead of capicola (4 slices zapped in microwave for 4 min) and used beef top round. I chose the braising method with red wine and tomato sauce. After 1 hr simmering the meat was tender enough to eat but next time I will pound the meat to 1.4" thickness and brush with vinegar to help tenderize it. The stuffing was the highlight of this meal... it was incredible. The amounts of everything were perfect (even thought I halved the recipe). It was really alot easier to put together than I thought. In fact, rolling the meat was the hardest part. The recipe flows nicely without alot of wondering when to do what. I will make this again very soon!

 

[aeht206]

This is so similar to my grandmother's braciole! It's such a delicious weekend recipe. Thanks for posting!

 

[gldaja]

very good