Braciole

I have always wanted to try braciole. An avid lover Italian I just knew I would love this dish and boy was I right! Yum! I looked at several recipes online and combined a few and tweaked it to make it fit what I wanted. Enjoy! This is best if you can make it in the morning and let cook all day.

Pronounced "bra-jole" or "bra-zhul"

YOU WILL NEED:

1 Flank steak or 8 pieces of beef, thinly sliced. I used a flank steak and that had at it with a meat tenderizer to make thin and tender. Then I sliced it into 5 pieces.

Prosciutto thinly sliced, enough to cover the flank steak

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs I went a little easy on the bread crumbs due to my personal tastes.

1/2 cup milk - eyeball it

2/3 cups Parmesan or Romano I used a block of parm and grated it fresh...mmmm.... and did about half of this to make room for other cheese

Approximately 1/2 cup mozzarella/provolone/fontina grated

1 small onion chopped

**SEE ADDED VARIATIONS BELOW**

Toothpicks 2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

Butter, approximately 2 tbsp but who doesn't like a little extra butter?

Crimini mushrooms 6-12 depending on your taste. Finely chopped. I think zucchini would be a fun addition as well, finely chopped

2 tbsp flour

1 cup chardonnay - remember don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink! I think 2 buck chuck is a great choice for this. Too bad I can't get it here in Hawaii!

1 cup beef broth few tbsp of tomato paste. I like mine pretty tomatoey so I added about half a small can.

ADDED VARIATIONS TO THE FILLING

1 cup arugula or spinach. I did not add this but would be a nice addition for flavor and nutrition.

2 handfuls chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. I replaced with a few shakes of dried parsley because that is what I had on hand

1 handful of dried fruit such as cranberries or dried cherries or raisins. I will definitely do this next time. I think would really enhance the flavor

1 handful of pine nuts. MMMMMmmm......

DIRECTIONS:

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place prosciutto on meat after it has been pounded thin, enough to cover. Cut into serving size pieces.

In a bowl, moisten bread crumbs with milk. Add cheeses, onion, parsley, arugula and other chosen fillings. Spread a thin layer over each piece of meat and roll tightly. Secure with toothpicks or string.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil over high heat. Add some garlic if desired. Quickly roll each braciole in hot oil on each side (including the ends) to seal in juices and brown slightly. You are not cooking them, just a quick browning.

Place meat in a pot or crock pot.

Add butter to the skillet. Add chopped mushrooms and garlic to the melted butter. Saute for a few minutes. Add flour and quickly stir and cook 2 minutes. Whisk wine into the pan. Scrape up the pan drippings - enhances the sauce! Let reduce for about a minute. Then whisk in beef broth and tomato paste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

I doubled the sauce because I like alot. It did make quite a bit, but made for wonderful leftover spaghetti sauce. I did not add extra mushrooms. Might have been overwhelming for my family.

Pour sauce over meat in the pot. Cook on low ALL DAY. The longer the better. It is SOOOOO tender. My kids...picky as they are....devoured it. Rachel Ray - who I adapted this recipe from - actually COOKS the meat in the pan, makes the sauce and then serves immediately. Would be good but not as tender and flavorful. You can also use your own sauce, or a bottled sauce but this one is really delicious. And I am snobby about my own special sauce, so I think that says something. :) Enjoy!

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