Braciole, revisited

We had never had Braciole, but I know it's an italian classic.  I can't tell you how this shakes out next to other recipes, but I'm sure it would stand up well.

It makes me laugh because I never knew what braciole actually was.   My grandmother and mother always used to serve steak and spaghetti.  I never knew where it came from, but it must be from braciole.  The tomato sauce and steak pairing is really good.   The meat gets so tender, it just falls apart. 

Braciole

Adapted from Jeff Mauro

Steak:

1 flank steak (2 lbs)

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano

3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

Olive oil, as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/4 cup cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (if you are a spice wimp, may I suggest 1/8 tsp?)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzanos

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the steak: Gently pound the steak to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, pecorino, parsley and garlic onto the meat. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the meat, or mix 5 tablespoons olive oil with bread crumbs prior to sprinkling, which I prefer. Roll the meat with the grain and tie with butcher's twine to secure the roll. Sprinkle the outside of the roll generously with salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over high heat, add 1/4 cup olive oil and sear the beef on all sides until golden brown. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Turn down the heat to medium and add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, garlic, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Sweat until translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring to avoid burning. Add the tomato paste and cook 3 more minutes. Then deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping all the fond from the bottom, and add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add the meat back to the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Taste and season again with salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove the meat from the pot, cut the twine and slice against the grain into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices.  Serve with the tomato sauce.