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Braised Beef Rolls (Braciole di Manzo)

December 01, 2019

 

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Perhaps I should re-name this "Braciole di Manzo il Frigo" because I wrapped the beef around what I could scrounge up from the fridge.

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But don't worry, I'm posting the real recipe here, thank you Lidia Bastianich. 
I've been avoiding gluten but I had to have my pasta fix so I served the beef roll over fettuccine. That should keep me happy for a while. 

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I started the filling by cutting up and soaking two pieces of pita bread in just enough milk to cover them and added milk as needed to hydrate them. While the bread was soaking, two ribs of celery and 1/4 of a white onion were diced and sautéed with a minced clove of garlic and set aside to cool before adding to the soaked bread. 
I had some salami slices leftover from a party so that got diced and added to the bread-veggie mix along with some chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese. 

After I laid out the slices of beef I mounded some filling up on the wide end of the meat, then added a half a slice of string cheese, rolled up and secured with toothpicks. 

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In a large skillet heat some oil and brown the rolls. Once the rolls are browned add the sauce. I took a short cut and used jarred spaghetti sauce that I jazzed up a little with some red wine and red pepper flakes. 
Spoon the sauce over the rolls, turn down the heat cover and simmer until the meat is fork-tender. 

Can it be more obvious I'm not a recipe writer? Basically, just about anything you have on hand can be used, use your imagination and leftovers. 

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It still was a plate of awesomeness. Next time I'd like to use some pepperoni, I think that would be great. 

Here's the real deal recipe. 

Braciole di Manzo

Ingredients

  • FOR THE BRACIOLE
    1 1/2 cups milk
    2 cups 1/2-inch bread cubes, cut from day-old Italian bread with crusts removed
    2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
    1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
    1/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    1/4 cup raisins
    1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
    1 clove garlic, finely chopped
    2 pounds beef bottom round, cut into 12 slices each about ½ inch thick
    12 slices imported Italian prosciutto (about 6 ounces)
    1/4 pound imported provola or provolone cheese, cut into ¼-by-¼-by-1-inch sticks
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • FOR THE SAUCE
    One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    2 small onions (about 8 ounces), chopped
    2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    1/2 cup dry red wine
    3 tablespoons tomato paste
    2 fresh or dried bay leaves
    Salt and hot red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

  1. To make the stuffing:
    Pour the milk into a medium bowl, add the bread cubes, and let soak until the bread is very soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the bread, squeeze out excess milk from the cubes with your hands, and return bread to the bowl. Stir in the chopped eggs, parsley, Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, raisins, pine nuts, and garlic. Mix well, and set aside.
    With the toothed side of a heavy meat mallet, pound each slice of beef round to a thickness of about ¼ inch. Arrange one of the pounded meat slices in front of you with one of the short sides closest to you. Top with a slice of prosciutto, and tap the prosciutto with the backside of a knife so it adheres to the beef. Spread 2 tablespoons of the stuffing over the beef slice, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Place a stick of provolone crosswise over the edge of the stuffing closest to you. Fold the border over the provolone, then fold the side borders in to overlap the edges of the stuffing. Roll into a compact tube. Secure the end flap with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining beef and stuffing, then season the rolls with salt and pepper.
    Empty the tomatoes into a bowl, and squeeze them with your hands until coarsely crushed, removing the cores as you do. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add as many of the braciole as will fit in a single layer, and cook, turning the braciole as necessary, until golden on all sides, about 7 minutes. If necessary, repeat with any remaining braciole. Adjust the heat under the pan as necessary to prevent the beef from scorching. Pour the wine into the casserole, bring to a boil, and cook until most of it has evaporated. Stir in the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add tomato paste and bay leaves, and stir until the paste is dissolved. Season lightly with salt and red pepper flakes, adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering, and cook, adding water as necessary to keep the braciole completely submerged, until the beef is tender, about 3 hours.

And that's that!

Posted at 05:26 PM in Meat | | Comments (0)

Spicy Pork Zucchini Stir-Fry

August 27, 2019
Jump To Recipe Print Spicy Pork zucchini stir fry

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Dang, does this look wonderful or what. It has a really nice level of spice and the ratio of the soy sauce and sesame oil is perfect, one doesn't overtake the other. 
Don't overcook the zucchini, keep it a bit on the al-dente side because the recipe doesn't have a crunchy element.  If you want to add one I think bamboo shoots or celery would be a great crunchy addition. 

First I want to tell you about one of my kitchen staples. It resides on the top shelf of the refrigerator door, within easy reach. This one happens to be the Ginger Garlic Paste, I also have a smaller jar of just garlic paste. I prefer to use fresh garlic in most cases but the paste is my go-to for stir-frys and curries. 

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 I think it's one of the best spicy sauces I've used in a long time. Of course, you can kick it up a notch or tame it down according to your spice tolerance. 
The recipe calls one tablespoon of grated ginger, I substituted an equal amount of the ginger-garlic paste. 

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After you stir-fry the pork, then the zucchini separately throw them back together and douse with the sauce. 
I like more sauce than the recipes call for, so I normally double the recipe. In this case, you definitely should, even doubling it there was "just enough".

The sauce would be perfect over any Asian noodle you could think of. I'm using it to make a cold spicy noodle salad to go with dinner tonight, Mmmmm

Spicy Pork Zucchini Stir-Fry

Ingredients

  • For the sauce:
    3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
    1 tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger
    1 tablespoon sambal oelek or Asian chili-garlic sauce
    2 teaspoons toasted (Asian) sesame oil

    For the stir-fry and serving:
    1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium)
    2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
    1 pound ground pork or ground meat of choice
    Salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
    Cooked white or brown rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Make the sauce: Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

    Make the stir-fry: Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons.
    Heat a flat-bottomed wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water vaporizes immediately on contact.
    Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil around the pan, add the pork, and season with salt and pepper. Let cook undisturbed for 30 seconds, then break the pork into small, bite-sized pieces and continue stir-frying until it's cooked through and golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a paper towel-lined plated and drain the pan of excess fat. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan, add the zucchini, and spread out into one even layer. Let cook undisturbed for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the zucchini until browned and just tender, about 5 minutes more.

    Return the pork to the skillet, add the sauce, and stir-fry until the sauce is well-incorporated and the zucchini begins to look glossy, about 30 seconds more. Garnish with the scallions and serve over rice.

    Make ahead: The sauce can be made 1 day in advance and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Let the sauce sit at room temperature while preparing the stir-fry, and stir before adding to the pan.

    Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

     

And that's that!

Posted at 02:21 PM in Asian, Meat | | Comments (0)

Pan-seared Thyme Butter-Basted Tenderloin Steak

August 16, 2019

I was home alone for dinner the other night, what a treat!!!! A good time to indulge myself in a thick pan-seared, thyme, butter-basted steak. I followed the directions on Serious Eats. I had a small tenderloin that turned out absolutely perfect.

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First salt and pepper both sides of the steak and set aside.

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Thinly slice some shallots and brown in the fat of your choice, I usually use a pat of butter with a little olive oil. 

Wipe out the pan you cooked the shallots in, add a little oil and get it screaming hot over a medium-high flame. 

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Add the steak and keep flipping it until a golden-brown crust starts to develop. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and a few sprigs of thyme, or rosemary. I added thyme, I think even a few leaves of fresh sage would be wonderful. Fried sage leaves are great. 
Very carefully tip the pan so the butter collects toward the side of the pan. Keep basting and flipping the steak until your desired doneness is achieved.
Using an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak, the temperature should read 120-125*F for medium-rare and 130* for medium
Add the cooked shallots back to the pan right before serving. Drizzle the perfect steak with the butter, thyme, and shallots. Enjoy

Now, I'm not_that_selfish that I wait for everyone else to have other plans so I can have a perfectly prepared steak, I have prepared steak for everyone in the past, but only twice. The first time some asked for their steaks well-done. O.K. even though well-done steak goes against the grain, (no pun intended) I understand that's just how they like their meat served, after a mild protest from me I accommodated them. The next time I prepared, actually grilled, steaks for everyone a couple more wanted well-done, o.k. I was getting used to that by now, but when one of the well-done diners asked for ketchup, I could hardly keep my composure (and you know who you are). Ergo, no more steak for you.
K my little tangent is over, for now.  
I hope you try cooking your next steak this way, I think you'll love it. 

And that's that!

Posted at 01:18 PM in Food , Meat | | Comments (0)