Tender braised beef stuffed with garlic, herbs and parmesan served with a savory tomato sauce make this a dish you'll come back to and want to show off to your family and friends.
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Beef braciole (pronounced brah-ZHOHL, meaning "bracelet") is a dish I'd never heard of until, like millions of people across the USA, I became of fan of the hit HBO series, The Sopranos. When the companion cookbook, The Sopranos Family Cookbook, was published in 2002, I made sure to get a copy so I could try all the amazing foods for myself, and I made the Beef Braciole recipe first.
The Sopranos Braciole recipe, my way
Believe it or not, I made this dish in the little galley of our boat, the Rapscallion, back in Chicago. It was usually only my husband and me spending weekends on the boat, so we'd often invite a few other boater friends from our pier to the Rapscallion for dinner. This beef braciole recipe was a real hit! Over the years as I've made this recipe, I've adapted it a little bit, but not much.
This is a braised dish, no oven required. It goes together pretty quickly, but you'll need to allow a couple hours for the stove-top braising. Serve this beef braciole over your favorite pasta with some garlic bread and a nice chianti, and you'll feel like your dining in Nuevo Vesuvio back in Jersey with the rest of the Family.
How to make this Beef Braciole recipe
Gather the Ingredients
- Beef round steak or skirt (flank) steak
- Garlic cloves
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese (try this rotary cheese grater, you'll love it)
- Flat-leaf Italian parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Prosciutto
- Olive oil
- Dry red wine
- Tomato puree
- Fresh basil leaves chopped or torn to small pieces
- Beef broth
Assemble and cook the braciole recipe
- With a meat pounder (this meat pounder/tenderizer is my absolute favorite), flatten the steak pieces to about ¼" thick.
- Rub the minced garlic into each piece.
- Top the meat with grated Romano cheese, then cover each slice with proscuitto.
- Roll the slices up and tie them with kitchen string, then slice the rolled meat into about 4" logs.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers, then add crushed garlic cloves and rolled beef and cook, turning to brown them on all sides. If it gets a little too brown in areas, don't sweat it because 1) you're creating a nice fond and 2) the braising will soften it.
- Add the wine and simmer. Remove the garlic.
- Turn the heat down to low, for the braising phase, then add the puree and basil.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and braise over the low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally and turn the meat regularly. If the sauce gets too thick (remember, you want to use it as a sauce for the pasta), add a little beef broth.
- Serve it up over a bed of pasta, or serve the pasta on the side and lightly spoon some of the tomato sauce onto it. Top with freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan.
If you're craving Italian fare, you'll want to try these recipes, too
My braciole recipe gets a lot of views here! Other fan favorites include these classic Italian recipes, so check them out:
- Authentic Lemon Chicken Piccata is quick and super delicious!
- The classic Fresh Basil Pesto is full of bright tasting basil and the king of cheese, Parmesan
- Rich and Creamy Mushroom Risotto makes a great side for beef and chicken dishes.
📖 Recipe
Beef Braciole
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless beef round steak or skirt (flank) steak
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup fresh-grated Pecorino Romano cheese try this rotary cheese grader, you'll love it
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
- salt and pepper
- thinly-sliced prosciutto enough to cover the pounded steak slices completely
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 4 cups tomato puree
- 4 fresh basil leaves chopped or torn to small pieces
- beef broth as needed
Instructions
- With a meat pounder (this meat pounder/tenderizer is my absolute favorite), flatten the steak pieces to about ¼" thick, working them into a rectangular shape as much as possible (don't sweat this too much), then spread them out onto a flat surface.
- Rub the minced garlic into each piece. Using a garlic press for this step will make the garlic into a nice spreadable paste.
- Top the meat slices with the grated romano cheese, then cover each slice with the proscuitto.
- Roll the slices up and tie them with kitchen string. Cut the rolled meat into about 4" pieces.
- Flatten the garlic cloves by placing a chef's knife on them (flat side) and bringing your fist down on the flat side of the blade. Or use the meat pounder 🙂
- In a large skillet or wide saucepan (for which you have a tight-fitting lid), heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the crushed garlic and rolled beef and cook, turning to brown them on all sides. If it gets a little too brown in areas, don't sweat it because 1) you're creating a nice fond and 2) the braising will soften it.
- Add the wine and simmer for just a few minutes. Remove the garlic and discard it.
- Turn the heat down to low, for the braising phase. Add the puree to the pan, along with the basil.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and braise over the low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally and turn the meat regularly. If the sauce gets too thick (remember, you want to use it as a sauce for the pasta), add a little beef broth.
- Serve it up over a bed of pasta, or serve the pasta on the side and lightly spoon some of the tomato sauce onto it. Top with freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan.
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