(REPOSTED)

Braciole is one of my hearty favorite Italian meal courses. Although it looks difficult, it is easy to prepare. The singular is Braciola. The Sicilian pronunciation is "bra-zhul."

It is made from flat steak, sometimes pork, and is usually stuffed with spinach, cheese, sausages, or whatever. I like it served with a red sauce, marinara style, but not too much. It goes well with a cold salad, potatoes or green beans.



Start with flank steak. Pound the heck out of it to get it thin and tender. Then cut the meat into pieces about 5 or 6 inches wide and lay them on a cutting board or preparation platter.

I made this many times in California and always got compliments for it. This is a delicious treat, if you like meat.



Select your stuffing, or filling. Here is a list of some of the items I have stuffed in Braciole:

-Spinach leaves
-Cheeses (I have used many kinds including Gorgonzola, Asiago, Romano, Parmesano or try Kasseri (a Greek sheep cheese something like Provolone.)
-Italian sausage
-Chopped hard boiled egg
-Roasted and cracked chestnuts
-Prosciutto
-Shredded chicken
-Artichoke hearts
-Mushrooms
-Basil and mashed potato



Place the stuffing in what will be the center of your flat meat. Roll up the meat tightly. Tie it with string, around the rolls and around the ends. This is very important if you are using cheese in the filling.



I like to use a skillet to cook the Braciole, but I have used the oven and the barbecue grille. The barbecue can burn off the string, so I prefer using the large skillet. Heat the pan with olive oil and place the braciole in the oil. Turn them as they cook to brown the meat thoroughly.

If you use Italian sausage (or any sausage links) in the stuffing, first make sure to brown cook them before you put them in the steaks and roll them up.

You can baste the braciole during cooking with a little olive oil or butter. I once used garlic butter to do this and it was delicious!



When finished, slice the braciole across the roll. Cut and toss the string. They also look great sliced on a bias, or angle. The above photo shows a spinach and basil with garlic stuffing.



The photo above shows braciole under a red sauce. These were stuffed with bell peppers and spinach with lots of garlic.

My ex loved this dish. I do, too. I always served a red Italian wine with it. Try Bardolino, Valpolicella or even a good Chianti.

Mangia!