Italians DO eat better!!!
Braciole
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/3 cup grated provolone
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce
Directions
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.
Simple Tomato Sauce:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 4 to 6 basil leaves
- 2 dried bay leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
- In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
- Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
- If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- Yield: 6 cups
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
serve with:
some fresh cooked angel hair pasta
Sangiovese
Bright, fruity Italian red wine
side dishes:
Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
- 4 bunches (12 to 16 ounces each) broccoli rabe (rapini), stems trimmed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup raisins
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Directions
Working in batches, cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute per bunch. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Strain the cooled broccoli rabe and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the reserved cooking water, the raisins, and cook until the broccoli rabe is heated through and the stems are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt, to taste. Just before serving, toss the mixture with the pine nuts
(I love pine nuts!!!!!)
Blanching in the boiling water takes all of the bitterness out of the rapini.
Very impressive and not too much work!
Holiday Salad..
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces goat cheese, cut crosswise into 6 slices
- 6 thin slices prosciutto
- 1 large head radicchio, rinsed, patted dry and torn into bite sized pieces
- 1 bunch arugula or watercress, rinsed, patted dry and cut int bite sized pieces
- 6 large leaves Bibb lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 head Belgian endive, stem removed and cut crosswise into thin shreds
- Pomegranate seeds, as garnish
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the pomegranate juice and orange zest, vinegar, shallots, salt, pepper and mustard and whisks thoroughly to combine. Add the oil in a steady stream and whisk until emulsified. Fold the segmented oranges and sliced onions into 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss to combine and set aside.
Wrap each slice of goat cheese in a slice of prosciutto. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the wrapped cheeses and sear on both sides. Remove from the heat.
In a large salad bowl, combine the greens. Add the marinated orange sections and onion slices, and toss gently with enough extra dressing to coat evenly. Divide among salad plates and top each with a seared goat cheese package and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Spoon a little extra dressing over each salad and serve immediately.
One crucial ingredient is the pomegranate juice used in the salad dressing; it
gives the salad its distinctive flavor. Do not substitute.
May your New Year be Delicious...Doug and June
