Braciole

Thinking about making.

Giada's recipe gets great reviews. I also watched her video. Reasonably easy to do.
BUT: She uses flank steak. A lot of reviews say it's tough. I can see why. My butcher suggests, butterflying a flank steak and then jakarta it. I think this will do the job. I jaksrta a flank steak, marinate & grill. always tender. Giada's tomato sauce has mixed reviews.
She does have a lot of good recipies.

Then Annie Burrell also get great reviwes. A LOT MORE WORK !!!
She uses TOP ROUND, cut thin and then she pounds it. Her stuffing in definitely more interesting.

Anyone tried either recipe? OR a mixed version???
Thanks,

Wally Wade

Hi Wally

My family has been making Braciole and its German equivalent Rouladen for years. Like back in the 1950's and 60's...did not get any recipe off the internet but passed down from family and friends. The long and short of it is that I believe it was made from a nice lean thin meat such as round steak...it was pounded and filled with proshut, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, a little onion, and bread crumbs and then rolled up and tied with string into rolls and then browned. They were probably the size of three fingers bunched together. They were then simmered for hours in marinara sauce and became very tender but not fall apart in the sauce. Served with mostiaciolli. The long slow simmering in the sauce is what makes them more tender and not tough. I do note that many of the more recent recipes seem to have more ingredients in them but the ones I know were more simple. The rouladen my grandmother made were similar but not in marinara sauce but in a thinnish gravy...and inside was finely chopped bacon, onion and celery. Serve with noodles or spaetzle.

Here is an interesting article about braciole I think they got the size right but in no way would I put raisins in them.
http://hallicino.hubpages.com/hub/_The_ ... e_On_Earth.

The Giada recipe has a picture and for what it is worth it does not look like the braciole of my youth. With all this talk you are making me hungry. good luck in making them. Let us know how they turn out. By the way these would be good left to simmer in a crock pot after the browning part is done but you have to be careful that they do not fall apart and get cooked to death.

Another thought..some people put pine nuts and/or raisins in the braciole. And some people put chopped dill pickle in the rouladen. My grandma did not put pickle in hers.

For me golden rasins are a must in braciole. Pignoli I can do without and I'm on the fence about hard boiled egg - I can take it or leave it.

walter wade wrote:My butcher suggests, butterflying a flank steak and then jakarta it.

What is it to "jakarta" a steak?

fropones wrote:

walter wade wrote:My butcher suggests, butterflying a flank steak and then jakarta it.

What is it to "jakarta" a steak?

I think he means jaccard. http://www.chefsresource.com/jacmeatten ... Mgod9zkANg

Personally I would not use flank steak to me the grain is going the wrong way and also that is why Giadas looks different than what I am used to. If you can get the tenderized round steak or tri tip pieces from a butcher all the better. I have found thin tenderized meat like that from Ultra and I have used it in quite a few recipes with success.