There are few things in life I like better than good meat simmered in a good sauce. Braciole (pronounced Brah-j’yole) is one of those… Braciole has as many variations as a Kelly Moore Paint chip thingy… If you’re in Sicily, it would be a piece of meat, veal, beef, pork, even swordfish pounded out and rolled with some garlic, peppers, pine nuts.. If you're from Tuscany perhaps it might not be rolled only layered, in Bologna they would call a thin pork chop perhaps Braciole… I first learned of Braciole in a restaurant I worked at in downtown Sacramento called Andiamo! Literally translated into Let’s Go!, the Chef would hand make these little rolled packages filled with currants, pine nuts, and prosciutto, that were seared and then submerged into a tomato sauce and braised uncovered for an hour or so. When served it was topped with cheese and the thickened tomato sauce and it was wonderful. Over the years, I have made a few variations, and this week after butchering 75 filets for a customer, I had a tremendous amount of beef tenderloin trim. With a little extra attention to detail and a bit of handy knife work, I was able to harvest all the tender, tasty pieces that often end up in our Meatery Grind. Yep, That is part of the reason why our Meatery Grind is so damn good and makes the best burgers… I digress… back to the Braciole, those tender filet pieces are pounded out between two pieces of parchment paper. Once thin and vulnerable, laying there on the work surface, the beef is smeared with our signature mierda verde and because I like to mix things up, I layer in toasted pine nuts, fire-roasted peppers, bread crumbs, provolone and a couple slices of Mortadella… rolled and tied, before being seared to seal in the goodies and submerged into an incredibly bright, acidic San Marzano tomato sauce, spiked with garlic and red wine and cooked for 1 hour. Creating the most delicious, succulent, tender and vibrant dish… Served with a generous portion of creamy, dreamy, enriched polenta and you will be transported to Italy and a glimpse of one of my favorite things!
*served here with braised spicy italian sausages