Braciole with proscuitto

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pounds Beef bottom round
1½ pounds Porcini mushrooms, dried
⅓ pounds Prosciutto, sliced paper thin
1 cup Celery leaves, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
1 cup Onions, minced
2 cups Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced, fresh or canned
Salt, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Have butcher slice meat into eight 2-ounce slices, or freeze it briefly and slice it yourself with a sharp knife. Place slices between 2 sheets of lightly oiled waxed paper and pound with a mallet or bottom of a skillet until they are paper-thin. Soak porcini mushrooms in hot water to cover for 1 hour.

2. Place beef slices on a flat surface. Divide prosciutto slices evenly among them and sprinkle chopped celery leaves over prosciutto.

Roll each beef slice into a neat bundle and tie securely with kitchen string. 3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a light haze forms. Brown beef rolls on all sides, in batches if necessary, then set aside. If necessary, add a little more oil to coat surface of pan, then add gaarlic and onion and saute over moderate heat until softened but not browned.

4. With slotted spoon, remove mushrooms from soaking liquid and squeeze dry. Strain liquid through cheesecloth to remove any grit or sand. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and reserved soaking liquid to skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return meat to skillet and bring sauce to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, and cook 2 hours. Check meat after 1 hour, adding a little water if sauce has reduced too much. When meat is quite tender, transfer rolls to a warm serving plate, cut strings carefully with a small knife and cover with sauce.

Comments:

Braciole is the Italian word for boneless meat cutlets, which are almost invariably stuffed, rolled, and tied. Here, in a Roman version, the cutlets are wrapped around a filling of proscuitto and celery, then gently braised with tomatoes and aromatic Italian mushrooms.

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