Braciole al Sugo
Tender beef rolls stuffed with pecorino, parsley, and garlic, slowly simmered in a rich tomato sauce.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 135 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Equipment
- •Meat mallet
- •Toothpicks or kitchen twine
- •Heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven
- •Wooden spoon
- •Chopping board
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- fat
- 34 g
- carbs
- 14 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 540 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Lay the meat slices flat and pound them gently with a meat mallet until thin and uniform.
- 2
Season each slice evenly with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- 3
Place a strip of pancetta along the centre of each slice of meat.
- 4
Scatter the minced garlic, chopped parsley, and grated pecorino cheese evenly over the slices.
- 5
Roll each slice tightly around its filling from the narrowest end upwards.
- 6
Secure each meat roll firmly with wooden toothpicks or kitchen twine so the filling stays enclosed.
- 7
Warm the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
- 8
Add the meat rolls and brown them gently on all sides for about 6 minutes.
- 9
Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent.
- 10
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble until the sharp aroma dissipates.
- 11
Stir in the tomato passata and tomato purée, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- 12
Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 2 hours until meltingly tender.
Chef's tips
Flatten the meat slices evenly so they cook at an identical rate and become melt-in-the-mouth tender. Fasten the rolls securely to prevent the pecorino and aromatics from leaking into the sauce too early. Keep the simmer extremely low throughout the cooking time to braise the meat gently.
Ingredient substitutions
- thin beef topside slices → thinly sliced horse meat for the hyper-traditional Barese butcher shop style
- Pecorino Canestrato Pugliese → Pecorino Romano or aged Parmigiano Reggiano
- pancetta → thinly sliced lardo or omit entirely
Storage
Store the cooked meat rolls submerged in their sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over low heat with a splash of water until piping hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the sauce violently, which makes the lean meat fibres tough and stringy.
- •Rolling too loosely, causing the garlic and cheese filling to disperse into the sauce.
- •Skipping the initial browning, which reduces the savoury depth of the finished ragu.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Braciole al Sugo?
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