Braciole cooked in ‘Sugo Napoletano’
This dish is quintessentially southern Italian and its origins are thought to be in Campania. Like most recipes, each region has a different recipe and each family their own interpretation. This version is a combination between Sugo Napoletano and Braciole. Sugo Napoletano is a “two in one deal”. Various cuts of meat are cooked in tomato sauce. The meats are then removed from the tomato, leaving a richly flavored sauce for pasta and a meat course for the main.
In this version, the braciole meat rolls are cooked in the pancetta and tomato, leaving you the option to use the rich sauce for pasta and eat the Braciole as a separate course. True Italian cuisine came from using what you had available to you and I encourage you to play with whatever ingredients you have on hand.
Equipment
meat knife · cast iron or large saute pan · meat mallet · measuring cups · measuring spoons · food processor (or hand chop) · cutting board · cheese grater · toothpicks
Prep time: 45min-1hr · Cook time: 1.5 hr · Makes ~12 small rolls · Serves ~ 4 people
Ingredients
-3.5c Salsa Pronta (or a trusted jarred tomato sauce brand)
-2.5lb Top Round Beef (cut into ~1/4in slices, slightly less is better)*- ask your butcher to pound these out for you! They can usually get it to ¼ in. *Once pounded, the strips of beef should be about 8x3in. You may want to cut some of the uneven parts off, if you do, add these pieces to the food processor when you buzz up the pancetta
-1.5 t kosher salt
-2T olive oil
-¼ lb Pancetta
-Extra grated cheese for garnish
(Optional) 12 thin slices prosciutto
Filling (to all be tossed in the food processor)
-1.5c breadcrumbs (you can buzz up stale or dried bread)
-1.5 c Pecorino Romano or aged Provolone (grated) -aged Provolone is preferable since it’s from Campania, but it is not as easy to find as Pecorino
-1.25c + extra garnish sprigs Parsley if you elect to use an aromatic herb like oregano or thyme, start with 2T fresh or 1T dry
-1T olive oil
-1t lemon zest
-¼ c Pine Nuts don’t have pine nuts and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg for them? Try with almonds instead!
-¼ c Golden Raisins (or dark raisins or currents, use what you have on hand)
-1.5t anchovy paste everyone’s comfort level with anchovy is different. This amount will really only add a umami quality-It won’t taste fishy, I promise!
-¾ c White Wine but if you have red open already, use that instead! Use what you already have
•In the food processor, take the chunks of pancetta and whatever beef scraps you have and buzz it up to a paste. Remove and set aside
•next in the food processor (no need to wash it in between), add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, raisins, anchovy paste, 1.25c parsley leaves, 1T olive oil, pine nuts and cheese. Buzz it up into a sandy consistency.
•Lay out a strip of meat (if you have prosciutto lay it on top before the breadcrumb mix) then add ~3T of the breadcrumb/cheese mix. Roll up the meat and secure with a couple toothpicks.
•Sprinkle the meat rolls all around with the 1.5t kosher salt
•Preheat the oven to 350^
• In the cast iron/large saucepan, heat 2T olive oil with the pancetta paste on medium low heat, let it simmer for a couple minutes, then add the meat rolls.
• Turn heat up to medium, brown on each side (~3min each side)
•Add the ¾ cup wine, simmer for another few minutes
• Add ~2.5 c of the salsa pronta/ jarred tomato, or enough so the rolls are covered by the tomato (if you can fit all 3.5c in the pan, add it all in!)
•Put in oven and cook covered (lid or tinfoil) for 45min
•After 45min, uncover and flip the rolls and cook for the last 45min uncovered
•Once the dish is done and if you plan on making 2 meals out of it, remove the rolls and put in a separate container/pan along with ~1c of the cooking sauce
•To the sauce left in the pan, add the 1c of extra salsa pronta (if you were able to fit all the sauce in when you cooked the Braciole you won’t have that extra sauce), this will be your pasta sauce!
