Beef Braciole

Prep your station

Once browned, add the wine

This dish is made of tender round steak pounded to create a thin surface. You top with fresh garlic, fresh parsley, basil, grated cheese. Today I used leftover mortadella, sliced provolone. You can use ham, prosciutto or just about anything to your liking. The important thing is to use good quality round steak. You'll be cooking these in tomato sauce.

Let's get started:

3 large pieces of round steak

Fresh parsley

Black pepper/Salt to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese

Wooden toothpicks to secure

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Olive oil

Ham slices (or whatever you want to use)

1/2 cup of any wine or broth

1 28 oz can of tomato puree

1 can of fresh water

In large saucepan, add enough oil to cover bottom. Add chopped onions and one garlic clove sliced. When translucent, add the rolled up beef, securing with three toothpicks. Carefully add to cooking onions and garlic. Brown on all sides. Add the wine slowly.

Once the wine evaporates, add tomatoes and can of fresh water. Stir very well, scrapping the bottom of the pot.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Place a few leaves of basil in the sauce. Simmer the sauce, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking to bottom of the pot.

Let it cook for approximately 2 1/2 hours until the Braciole is fork tender.

Before rolling up

Bubbling away....wish you can smell my kitchen right now!

I added some meatballs to the sauce, but here is the finished product

Let's get baking!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1 whole thin skinned orange, remove the stem and cut in quarters. Keep the skin on the oranges.

In a clean large food processor, add the orange quarters, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, three large eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp of orange extract, 1 tbsp of Triple Sec liqueur, optional, 2/3 cup vegetable oil.

Pulse all ingredients in the processor and then puree until mixture becomes a batter with specs of orange peel.

Add to the processor:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Process all dry ingredients until they are entirely incorporated into the batter.

Bake in a greased and floured spring pan, using a parchment paper circle on top of the greased bottom.*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.

Remove from your oven and let it cool down completely. Dust with powdered sugar or make a drizzle of 1/4 cup powdered sugar and fresh squeezed orange until thick and smooth. Pour onto the cooled fresh orange cake.

Cooking with Love

with Gianna Conte (Jan)