Recipe Background
Braciole, wrapped in nostalgic flavors and family tradition, is a tender treat best embraced with patience.
The first time I made Braciole, I was celebrating the joy of reclaiming my childhood home. After years away, returning felt like opening a chapter filled with nostalgia and a touch of melancholy. The kitchen, now a bit more modern, still held the same comforting spirit. I found myself thumbing through old recipes, seeking that warm connection to family gatherings of the past. As my eyes landed on the flank steak, it transported me to Sunday afternoons where the aroma of garlic and rosemary would waft through the rooms, inviting us to gather around the table.
In diving into this culinary endeavor, pounding the steak thin with a mallet felt therapeutic, even artistic. As I spread the cheese mixture, the blend of parmesan and provolone enveloped me in a symphony of familiar flavors. Rolling the steak was no simple feat, requiring delicate care to ensure every tie held the seasoned treasures inside. By the time I nestled it into the Dutch oven with melted butter, it was more than a recipe; it was a communion with the past. A splash of white wine and generous tomato sauce later, the Braciole was ready for its roasting, coaxing it to become tender, savoring each basting like a gentle reminder to cherish each moment.
If there's one lesson from crafting this dish, it's the importance of patience. Allowing it to rest for ten crucial minutes ensured that every slice held together, wrapped in flavor and history. Bringing Braciole to the table that day helped stitch together the fragments of my past and present, each bite a small celebration in itself.
Ingredients
- 1-1 1/4 pounds flank steak
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup parmesan grated
- 1/3 cup provolone grated
- 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups tomato sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Use a meat mallet to pound the steak until it is as thin as possible, about 1 minute.
- Sprinkle both sides of the pounded steak with the salt and the pepper.
- In a bowl, mix the parmesan, the provolone, the breadcrumbs, the parsley, and the garlic together.
- Evenly spread the cheese mixture on top of the steak.
- Roll up the steak and tie it closed with 3-4 pieces of butcher's twine; tying the twine tightly so that the filling won't fall out as it cooks.
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
- Add the tied-up steak to the butter and cook, turning every 2 minutes, until it is browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.
- Add the white wine to the steak mixture and bring to a bubble.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the steak mixture.
- Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and transfer it to the oven.
- Roast the steak, basting every 30 minutes by spooning the tomato sauce over the top of the steaks, until the steak has reached an internal temperature of at least 130 degrees F, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Transfer the Dutch oven from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the steak while discarding the butcher's twine.
- Serve immediately after slicing and spoon with some of the tomato sauce on top.
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