Braciole
An oozy, cheesy, salty, meaty, Swiss roll. Totally delicious and perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
For the beef
- 1 x 800g/1lb 12oz piece topside beef, cut into 6 slices lengthways
- 50g/1¾oz grated Parmesan
- bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 6 slices parma ham or prosciutto, cut in half
- 200g/7oz block hard mozzarella, sliced
- 6 large basil leaves
- 6 anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra if needed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 300–350²µ/10½´Ç³ú–12´Ç³ú pappardelle, to serve
For the tomato sauce
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 150ml/5fl oz white wine
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or dried
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the stuffed beef, take each slice of topside and place between two pieces of cling film. Bash with a meat tenderiser until very thin (around 3mm). Try to make sure you do not split or tear the meat.
Mix together the Parmesan, parsley, garlic and lemon zest in a bowl. Season with plenty of black pepper.
Lay out each beef slice with the shorter end facing you. Cover a slice with a piece of ham and then cover with some mozzarella, leaving a thick border along the two long sides and the top. Sprinkle over some of the Parmesan mixture. Put a basil leaf along the bottom side and place an anchovy fillet on top of it.
Roll the beef up quite tightly and secure with a cocktail stick. Repeat until you have stuffed and rolled all 6 pieces of beef.
Heat the oil in a large lidded sauté pan and brown the meat on all sides. Remove and leave to rest while you make the tomato sauce.
For the tomato sauce, add more oil to the pan if necessary and add the onion. Stir the onion to help deglaze the pan. When it is soft and translucent, add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the white wine, bring to the boil and cook until it has reduced by half. Add the oregano, tomatoes and 200ml/7fl oz water. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper and then simmer for 5 minutes. Return the beef to the pan along with any meat juices, pushing the beef into the sauce.
Simmer over a very low heat for around 1–1½ hours, partially covered, until the meat is very tender. Do not turn the heat up during this time – any aggressive heat can push the filling out of the beef.
Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle in a saucepan of lightly salted water according to packet instructions.
Remove the beef from the sauce and slice. Add the cooked pappardelle to the sauce and mix to coat well. Divide the pasta between plates and top with the sliced beef rolls.
