So, today we're going to make Braciole, rolled meat.
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And we're gonna start with the sauce
you want a lot of sauce.
I start the sauce with one large or two medium onion
and several cloves of garlic.
Big fat cloves of garlic, thinly sliced,
cooked in olive oil, until they're really fragrant and soft,
and just starting to lightly caramelize in color.
So, we're going to put in a few fat table spoons
of sun-dried tomato paste.
Oregano, or Marjoram, they're very related in flavor,
Marjoram's a little lighter, we put in next.
Now, I do about 1/3 of a palm full,
a little goes a long way with Oregano.
A little crushed red pepper, adding a lovely acidity to it.
Now we're going to add stock,
any slow cooking sauce you're gonna get
a little bit of broth from the meat rolls that we're making.
But I like the flavor depth that you get
by adding chicken, beef, or even vegetable stock
to a slow cooking sauce.
Then we're going to add about two cups,
or half a quart of Passata.
And then we're going to add
one large can of Italian tomatoes.
When we come back we'll make the beef rolls.
Right after this.
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A few more things about a big pot of sauce,
or a big pot of soup, like a nice pot of Minestrone,
or Menest, beans and greens.
When you're buying Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,
the king of all cheeses, so delicious.
Always make sure you buy a hunk with a big chunk of rind.
This is a flavor enhancer,
and there's nothing in the world like it.
You take a chunk of Parm and you put it into
soup or pasta sauce, the whole sauce ends up tasting
nutty and buttery, absolutely delicious.
The sauce is just about cooked out now
so I'm going to add a little basil.
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Now, the meat is browning over here, these little Bracioles.
I keep the wine out and try and save enough
to deglaze the meat pan.
I brown the meat in batches, and as I take the meat out
and transfer it to the sauce, you deglaze the pan
or lift up the drippings with a little more wine.
For the Braciole, these are very thin pieces of top round
that's what you ask for at the butcher counter.
They've been seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides
and then it's covered with your choice
of Prosciutto di Parma, which is what this is,
or Speck, which is smoked Prosciutto.
Here's what went into the filling.
I start with onions and garlic,
cook them out and let them get tender,
and then cool them completely.
Then, I added either baby kale or arugula chopped
and some flat leaf parsley.
I added Provolone and Parmigiano cheese.
I added toasted pine nuts, bread crumbs,
a little bit of currants, like little baby raisins,
or sweetness to balance the nuts,
and a little bit of lemon zest.
That's what I have mixed all together in this bowl.
Then, as you roll these up,
just tuck the sides in a little bit as you go
to try and keep that stuffing in the center.
And just tie two little pieces around.
Brown them, transfer them, and then they cook very gently
on the stove on the lowest simmer or in a low oven,
like 300 oven, until they are super tender and delicious.
It will take about two and a half to three hours,
depending on how thick the meat is that you start with.
And this is what I was saying,
when you take the meat rolls out,
splash of wine to lift up all that good juice
and add that juice to your sauce.
I'm gonna take a quick break, come on back,
and I'll show you what they look like when they're all done.
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So, as soon as the Braciole gets nice and tender,
like literally almost falling apart,
carefully cut the strings off.
Take them out of course of the boiling hot sauce,
let them cool a little bit,
then cut the strings off, I should say.
And then you cover them with some of the sauce.
I've got two in a shallow bowl here.
I'll cut into one so you see.
You barely touch it with a knife
and you can see the inside there,
with the ham and all that filling.
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It's like a meatball.
Like a rolled meatball.
Now look, a fork and a knife, that's a lovely thing.
More importantly for us, a pound of pasta for four people,
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or, even easier than making pasta,
a giant hunk of charred bread.
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This is why that's important.
Because this giant pot of sauce,
we then dump the bread in and this becomes dessert.
(audience cheers)