Nonna Elena’s Braciole alla Barese is one of the most loved and well-known ‘family Sunday’ dishes. It originates in Bari, Puglia and is a slow cooked, tomato sauce based meat dish that is a Sunday regular. It requires long slow cooking and can be eaten with *pasta or as a main course (secondo in Italian) with salad or vegetables. It is a very hearty meal that will satisfy any appetite.

This rich and tasty traditional braciole alla Barese recipe comes from Bari in the Southern Italian region of Puglia (Apulia). Like many similar Italian ‘Sunday sauce’ recipes’, it takes a while to cook, but the result is melt in your mouth filled beef rolls in a thick flavourful tomato sauce that are delicious (deliziosa).

Braciole are made with cheaper, thin cuts of beef with a filling of parsley, garlic, pecorino cheese and, sometimes, lardo or prosciutto. They are cooked very slowly in a tomato sauce that becomes a thick tasty ragù which has been infused with the flavour of the meat.
Our memories of growing up in an Italian family revolved around the family at the table and the center piece was the Braciole or a Pasta al Forno (recipe to come). We knew what day of the week it was by the food on the table

The origins are unclear; some say it's Neapolitan, where they often add raisins and pine nuts to the stuffing; most say it hails from Puglia, where it is served with *orecchiette pasta (Auntie Silvia’s recipe to follow). It's a staple for celebrations around Italy but we're presenting the family version from Puglia – naturally!

 

6-12 very thinly sliced beef skirt steaks or thinly cut top or bottom round roast or sirloin

6-12 pieces lardon (optional)

3-5 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped

1 handful fresh parsley finely chopped

Parmesan or pecorino cheese (Grated or finely sliced)

salt and pepper to taste

For the tomato sauce

500 g – 1 kg tomato passata rustica (this is a thick passata)

1/2 glass  Terre Di San Vito Apeneste white wine

salt and black pepper

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves - sliced

30 g – 80g grated Pecorino or Parmesan for serving

 

 

Wash and chop the parsley.

Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Cut flakes or slithers of the parmesan or pecorino (or grate the cheese).

Cut the lardo into small thin slices (if not already sliced)

Place a slice of beef on a work surface perpendicular to you. Use a meat tenderiser to flatten it until it is very thin without breaking it. (The thicker the meat the longer it will take to cook)

Season with salt and pepper, and place a piece of lardo on the beef slice.

Then to each slice, add a little chopped garlic, chopped parsley and some cheese flakes (see Uncle Franco’s pictures)

Then roll each slice up around the filling into a tight cylinder. Secure the roll with toothpicks.

Repeat with the remaining beef and filling ingredients.

In a large, heavy based pan, over a medium-high heat, add some chopped garlic, Terre Di San Vito’s extra virgin olive oil and a small chopped onion. Add any extra lardo (if you are using it) and cook until the onion starts to soften and the lardo melts.

Working in batches if necessary, add the beef rolls, and cook until browned on all sides.

You will need to turn them. It takes about 6-8 minutes.

Add the wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.

Transfer all to a large saucepan.

Add the tomato passata to the pan and a large pinch of salt and pepper.

Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook covered for at least 1 1\2 hours or until the meat is cooked through and tender.

You will need to stir occasionally to make sure the sauce isn’t sticking. If the sauce seems watery, uncover for the last 30 minutes to reduce. If it seems too thick add some water or even better some of the pasta cooking water.

 

*If making this with pasta: When the braciole is almost ready. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add a large pinch of salt once it starts to boil and then bring to the boil again. Cook the orecchiette until it is al dente (with a bite) according to the instructions on the packet. (When in the UK, I use ready made fresh orecchiette which took only 6 minutes to cook)

Keep some pasta cooking water for the sauce if you think you need it. Drain the pasta.

 

If you are serving the pasta, sauce and braciole together, remove the braciole from the sauce and mix in the pasta.

Remove the toothpicks from the braciole and serve together with the pasta putting 1 or 2 braciole on each plate (I like to cut them in half).

If you want to serve the braciole separately to make 2 courses or meals out of this dish, remove the braciole and some of the sauce to another pot before adding the pasta to the remaining sauce.

Serve the pasta with extra grated parmesan or pecorino as required.

This dish is traditionally served with orecchiette but other short pasta can be used. I would suggest penne.

This dish is traditionally served as 2 courses. The pasta with the tomato sauce and then the braciole as a main course with vegetables and bread. We like to eat it together as one plate meal!