Nanny's Beef Braciole
Robin's grandmother gave her a hand-written recipe for "Braccioli". We are spelling it "braciole", but either way, it is a delicious rolled stuffed meat that is braised in a tomato sauce. The meat Nanny calls for is round or chuck, but we could only find chip steaks at our local market. The meat is stuffed with ham, hard-boiled eggs, mozzarella, and a breadcrumb mixture, and it is tender and delicious. We try to remain true to Nanny's recipe, using the italian seasoned store-bought bread crumbs, but we do replace the garlic powder and dried parsley with fresh. This is a classic, comforting, Sunday dinner of Robin's childhood. Originally served as part of: Braciole (Ask for Meat for Braciole).
Ingredients
- 1 pound 4 thin chip steaks beef
- 3 tablespoons dry italian seasoned bread crumbs (Progresso)
- ½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
- ½ tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- ½ tablespoon Pecorino romano cheese (Locatelli) (grated)
- salt & pepper
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs
- 4 slices thin, deluxe deli ham
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced thin)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin oil
- 1 batch tomato sauce
Instructions
We start by removing the steaks from the fridge and placing them on the counter on a sheet of wax paper. The steaks are thin so we do not pound them (if they were any thicker, we would have). They are about 3 inches wide and 6 - 8 inches long.
In a bowl, we get the bread crumb mixture ready. We combine the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, romano cheese, a little salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. We stir the mixture and taste for seasoning.
We peel our cold, hard-boiled eggs and using our egg slicer, slice them.
We get ready some pieces of kitchen string to tie the rolls. We are not great at tying, so we cut 4 pieces of string about 6 inches long for each steak.
We start the layering process with the ham by laying a slice on each steak. Next comes the bread crumb mixture. We divide and sprinkle it as evenly as we can - not quite to the edges. Then, we add the egg slices and mozzarella. Any ham that is hanging out over the edges of the meat is folded in.
Each steak is rolled as tight as possible, as we try to keep all the ingredients, especially the cheese, inside the roll. The four pieces of string are tied around each roll, three going around the roll and one perpendicular to make sure the top and bottom of the roll are secure. The long strands of string, after double-knotting, are clipped with kitchen scissors. We wash our hands.
In a large saute pan, we heat the olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, we heat our tomato sauce.
When the oil is hot, we salt and pepper the rolls a little bit, and add them to the pan. We brown them on all sides for a few minutes and then drain on a paper-towel lined plate.
We add the braciole to the simmering sauce and cook for about 40 minutes, at a low simmer. We want the meat to be tender.
We remove the braciole from the sauce to a serving plate, cut the strings with clean scissors, and slice. We serve alongside or after a pasta course with additional tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb thin chip steaks (4, or ask for meat for braciole)
- 3 tbsp dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (Progresso)
- ½ tsp garlic (minced)
- ½ tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
- ½ tbsp Pecorino Romano (Locatelli) (grated)
- salt and pepper
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs (cold)
- 4 thin slices deli ham
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella (sliced thin)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 batch tomato sauce
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Grown-up
Lay the steaks on wax paper on the counter (about 3 inches by 6 to 8). Pound them if they’re thicker than ours.
Kid job
Mix the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Romano, a little salt and pepper. Taste.
Kid job
Peel the eggs and slice them with an egg slicer. Cut 4 pieces of kitchen string, about 6 inches each, per steak.
Grown-up
Lay a slice of ham on each steak, sprinkle with the crumb mix not quite to the edges, then add the egg slices and mozzarella. Fold in any overhanging ham.
Grown-up
Roll each steak up tight, keeping the cheese inside. Tie with 3 strings around and 1 lengthwise, double-knot, and trim the ends. Wash your hands.
Grown-up
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and heat the sauce. Season the rolls lightly and brown on all sides a few minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Simmer the braciole in the sauce on low about 40 minutes, until tender.
Grown-up
Lift out onto a plate, snip the strings with clean scissors, and slice. Serve with or after the pasta, with more sauce.