My Braciole And Sweet Italian Sausage is a childhood favorite. I’ve updated my grandmother’s Braciole recipe.

Braciole or Involtini are stuffed beef rolls filled with just the right amount of ingredients along with the perfect balance of flavors.

 

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 41 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 8 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Equipment: mini food processor or Microplane, 1 (6-quart) Dutch oven, 1 (12-inch) sauté pan, 1 (6-quart) saucepot with a tight-fitting glass lid, cast-iron grill pan, cast-iron grill press, meat mallet, plastic wrap, tooth picks

Ingredients For Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of good tomato paste
1 cup of chicken stock, unsalted
1 pint of Cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/4 cup of good red wine, Chianti
1 fresh bay leaf, (substitute dried)
2 (28-ounce) cans of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
6 to 8 large basil leaves, finely chopped, for garnish

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage links (5 links)
2 pounds of top round beef steaks (Scallopini-syle)
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock, unsalted
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine, Chianti

Ingredients For The Filling:
1 cup of Italian season breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of Pecorino-Romano cheese, freshly grated
1/4 cup of golden raisins
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil, plus extra if needed

Note: In a small cold sauté pan add the pine nuts. Turn the heat to medium, swishing the pan around occasionally, toasting the nuts until you begin to smell their aroma. Remove the pan from the heat and cool.

Directions For Tomato Sauce:
Start by the tomato sauce. First, preheat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, tomato paste, diced onions, dried oregano, light brown sugar, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, frequently stirring, cooking the onions until they become translucent around 1 to 2 minutes. Next, add 1 cup of chicken stock, continue cooking until the liquid reduces by half, another 2 to 3 minutes.

To the onions add the quartered mushrooms, fresh thyme, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release all their water and begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. To the mushrooms and onions, add the minced garlic, stir and cook for another minute.

Next, add the red wine, stirring and scraping the bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring up to a bubble and allow the wine to reduce by half. Finally, add the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 35 minutes.

Directions For Italian Sausage:
First, using a fork, prick 3 sets of holes into the sausage links on both sides. Transfer the sausage links into a large saucepot. Cover with chicken broth and cover with a tight-fitting lid, preferably glass. Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes or until the sausage is no longer pink. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the sausage links to a plate and set aside.

Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage to the grill pan. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the grilled Italian sausage to the pot of tomato sauce.

One at a time, place the beef between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet (smooth side), gently pound to 1/8-inch in thickness. Set aside.

Directions For The Filling:
In a large mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs, Pecorino-Romano cheese, golden raisins, finely chopped basil, toasted pine nuts, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and olive oil, mix until the filling just comes together.

Directions For Braciole:
Line all the prepared beef slices on a (meat-safe board) flat surface. Sprinkle the filling evenly over all the beef slices. Roll the beef into a cylinder, tucking in the sides to hold in the filling as you roll. Secure with toothpicks.

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the beef rolls, seam side down in the pan, and brown seam side first to seal the rolls. Cook, turning the meat occasionally until each roll is nicely browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the seared stuffed beef rolls (Braciole) to the pot of tomato sauce.

In that same sauté pan, still over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup of red wine, scraping (to *deglaze) all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to reduce by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour all that delicious flavor right into the pot of tomato sauce, gently stir to combine.

Simmer on low to medium-low heat, in the tomato sauce, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Finish by garnishing with finely chopped fresh basil. There you have it, my Braciole And Sweet Italian Sausage.

Note: The super flavorful leftover sauce is going into my Homemade Lasagna.

*Deglaze: The process of scraping meat sediments off the bottom of a pan and/or pot typically using wine.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/11/15/my-recipe-for-lasagna/