Braciole Sandwich

My sophomore year of college I was watching an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond and Debra made "braciole" which apparently is the only dish that she ever cooked that was good. So of course, I started to wonder what that was and if I could make it. Since then I've been continually tweaking the recipe to find the best one. Should I use flanksteak or veal? Should I add prosciutto? Should it be one large piece or several small ones? I still haven't decided the best way yet.

Even if I haven't figured out the best recipe for braciole as a meal itself, we did stumble across this sandwich which is awesome. Jeff Mauro was one of our top picks for the 2011 Next Food Network Star and on the last episode this is what he cooked. 

I edited the recipe just a little bit but otherwise it's pretty perfect. Make sure to get soft hero (sub-like) rolls and warm them up. That will help the cheese melt and is just plain delicious. It takes a while to make this since it braises for a couple of hours but once you get it going you can let it be. It's worth it - trust me!

Braciole Sandwich**

1 flanksteak

2 cups breadcrumbs - I usually make my own but you could use store bought too

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella, shredded 

1 cup parsley, diced very finely

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

olive oil, as needed

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoon red wine

28 ounces crushed tomatoes - I highly recommend Hunt's brand, it's worth it not to use generic here

4 soft hero (sub-like) rolls, warmed

Fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

French fried onions - the kind that goes on green bean casserole

1. Very carefully slice your flanksteak into two thinner steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and pound to about 1/4 inch thickness. This can be tricky so either ask your butcher to do it or be VERY CAREFUL. You don't have to do this but it'll be much easier to roll and cook more evenly if you do. 

2. Mix together breadcrumbs, cheeses, parsley, and 3 tablespoons garlic together. Spread evenly over the steaks and drizzle with olive oil. 

3. Starting with a long edge, roll the flanksteak over the filling to create a roulade. Secure with cooking twice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

4. In a dutch oven (or a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid), heat about 1/4 cup olive oil over medium high heat until almost smoking. Add roulades and sear on all sides until just golden brown but not cooked through. Remove from heat and keep warm. 

5. Turn the heat down to medium. Add onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir continuously to avoid burning. Stir in tomato paste for about 1 minute. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Add crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. 

6. Put seared roulades back in the pot and cover in tomato sauce. Cover with lid, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 2 hours, occasionally recovering the roulades with sauce. 

7. Remove from pot and slice into thin slices, removing the twine. Serve immediately on warm rolls with mozzarella and fried onions.

** Original recipe: Jeff Mauro

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pammies-braciole-sandwich-recipe/index.html