My Braciole

A friend of mine wanted me to make this so I could share the recipe with him....I'd never tried to make it and I have to say......first time was a charm! It was delicious....tender meat and delicious sauce....It seemed a bit intimidating at first, but it really wasn't that hard. I was extremely pleased with how it came out!

My Braciole

2 lbs round steak (I got mine at smart and final..there were 5 steaks in the package. You could slice your own, but it was much easier this way)
salt and pepper

Filling:
3/4 cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp milk
2 large cloves of garlic
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts(I heated a small cast iron skillet to high, added the pine nuts and removed from heat. They toasted quickly, so make sure you watch them!)
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
3/4 cup parmesan cheese

3 oz prosciutto
1 slice provolone cheese for each roll (I used 5 slices)

Sauce:
3/4 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced/2 cloves garlic diced= 6 cloves total
1 cup red wine
2-28oz cans whole tomatoes
10 basil leaves, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter

For the filling:  Combine bread crumbs and milk. Add garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and chopped herbs.

Flatten steaks with tenderizer until they are about 1/4 inch thick.Salt and Pepper the steaks. Add one layer prosciutto, then one layer of provolone cheese. Then add about 1/2 cup of the bread crumb mixture. Roll and secure with twine. If it looks like the ends may come apart, secure them shut with toothpicks.

In a skillet that's been preheated to a medium high heat, add the rolls and sear on all sides.
Remove from pan.

Discard the oil from the pan and add 2 tbsp fresh oil. Don't wash the pan, you want those brown bits from the steaks. Just drain out the old oil and add 2 tbsp new oil.

Add diced onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Saute about 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of wine and simmer for 4 more minutes.  Add tomatoes. (I squished them into the pan with my hands so I could remove any hard cores from the tomatoes. You can use a fork once it's in the pan, too, if you'd rather not squish the tomatoes. I think it's easier to just use your hands.) Add the remaining 2 cloves of minced garlic and bring to a simmer.

Place the meat rolls into the sauce and simmer 3-3 1/2 hours. I only simmered mine for 2 hours because everyone in the house was starving and it smelled so good in the house that they couldn't wait. I think the meat was tender, but it could've been more tender if it was allowed to simmer another hour or so.

Slice and Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan on top. Also, you can serve with a side of pasta with butter and parmesan cheese. YUMMY!!

Italian Eggs

I've been getting tired of the same ol' thing for breakfast, so I thought I'd try something new....this came out delicious!

Italian Eggs

For the Sauce:

3 diced garlic cloves/2 diced garlic cloves- 5 total

1/2 diced shallot (about 1 tablespoon)

8 oz diced tomatoes 

1 tbsp fresh thyme 

1 tbsp fresh basil (+more for sprinkling on top after it's baked)

1 tbsp fresh oregano

1 tsp salt

You can also use a jarred marinara sauce if you don't have the time to make your own.

4 large eggs

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup shredded manchego cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a cast iron skillet or a skillet that you can safely transfer to the oven, Saute 3 garlic cloves and the shallot in about 1 tbsp olive oil about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herbs and bring to a simmer. Add the other 2 diced garlic cloves and simmer another 5-7 minutes. Salt to taste. (I used Pomi tomatoes and they are sweeter, so I needed the salt. You may not even need to add the salt. Just use your judgement.)

Crack the eggs into the sauce so they're evenly spaced. Transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the cheese and place back into the oven for 5 more minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked.  10 minutes was the perfect amount of time to have set whites and a runny yolk when I made this. 

When you take it out, sprinkle with more fresh basil and serve with toasted sourdough slices....yum!