[senior citizen]

Braciole (Stuffed Beef Rolls in Tomato Sauce)


From the Sopranos Family Cookbook.
Serve this with a big green salad and crusty garlic bread, pasta of choice.


Ingredients

• • 1 lb boneless beef round steak, 4 thin slices
  • 3 garlic cloves ( 1 finely chopped, 2 lightly crushed)
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • salt
  • pepper, freshly ground
  • 4 slices prosciutto ( thin slices)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 4 (14 ounce) cans tomato puree or 4 (14 ounce) cans canned Italian tomatoes, passed through a food mill
  • 4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
  • 1 lb ziti pasta or 1 lb penne pasta, cooked

Directions

Place beef between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound gently with a meat pounder or mallet to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness.

Remove and discard plastic wrap.

Place one slice of the prosciutto on each beef slice.

Sprinkle beef slices with the finely chopped garlic, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Roll each of the beef slices into a tight roll and secure with a toothpick.

MY MOM and DAD used string to tie them up.....so that is how I did it.....but a toothpick sounds easier....

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the braciole and crushed garlic. Cook, turning the meat occasionally, until it is browned on all sides and the garlic is golden. Add the red wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove and discard the crushed garlic cloves.

Stir in the tomato puree and basil.

Cover and cook on low heat, turning the meat occasionally, until it is tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 hours. Add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick.

If you want to serve it the Italian way: Serve the sauce over the hot, cooked ziti as a first course, followed by the braciole. Don't forget to remove the toothpick from the braciole.

I continued to make it this way as a young bride and then a young mother, but haven't made it in quite awhile. I will this winter.

The finished meat should be fork tender.............