World’s Best Braciole | Cooking Italian with Joe

beef

🥗Healthier: turkey

💰Cheaper: pork

Turkey is leaner, while pork is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free and lower in calories.

red wine

🥗Healthier: grape juice

💰Cheaper: white wine

Grape juice provides sweetness without alcohol.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Avocado oil has a higher smoke point, while canola is often cheaper.

Start by introducing the dish and its history, mentioning that it's called braciole and is a meat roll stuffed with various ingredients.

Prepare the filling: mix 1.5 cups flavored breadcrumbs, 1 cup chopped spinach, salt, black pepper, and 3 eggs in a bowl.

Chop 1 sweet onion and prepare 3.5 to 4 cloves of garlic into a paste.

In a cast-iron pot, heat olive oil over medium heat, ensuring it doesn't get too hot.

Add the chopped onion and garlic paste to the pot, cooking until they sweat and caramelize, about 15 minutes.

Add 0.5 pounds of pancetta to the pot and cook until everything is well combined and cooked down.

Remove the onion, garlic, and pancetta mixture from the pot, leaving the oil behind.

Sear the rolled beef in the same pot, using the leftover oil from the onion and pancetta.

After searing, add red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any brown bits.

Return the beef rolls to the pot and add marinara sauce, then cover and let it braise for about an hour.

Serve the braciole with marinara sauce and pasta.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens