Gram Gram’s Braciole Recipe

This Gram Gram’s Braciole recipe features thin slices of beef filled with Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, and fresh parsley before being rolled, deeply browned, and slowly braised in homemade red sauce. Featured on Cook the Books: Celebrity Edition Season 3, this comforting Italian-inspired dish is prepared by host Shahir Massoud and delivers exceptionally tender beef with rich, slow-cooked flavour.

The Inspiration

Braciole is a cherished part of Italian and Italian-American family cooking. The dish consists of thin slices of meat wrapped around a savoury filling, secured into rolls, and slowly cooked until tender. Depending on the family or region, the filling might include cheese, herbs, breadcrumbs, garlic, cured meat, or nuts.

Gram Gram’s version uses a focused combination of finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, and Italian parsley. The Parmigiano brings a salty, savoury richness, the pine nuts contribute a delicate buttery texture, and the parsley provides freshness. As the beef braises, the filling flavours the meat from within while the red sauce surrounds each roll.

This Gram Gram’s Braciole recipe comes directly from Your Pasta Sucks and is featured on Cook the Books: Celebrity Edition Season 3 with host Shahir Massoud. The name reflects the personal, family-style character of the dish, suggesting a recipe connected to generations of home cooking and meals shared around a busy table.

Ingredients

• 4 lb (1.8 kg) thinly sliced top round steaks
• A few big pinches of kosher salt
• 2/3 cup (65 g) finely grated (on a box grater) Parmigiano-Reggiano
• ½ cup (60 g) pine nuts
• ¼ cup (10 g) finely chopped Italian parsley
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cups (1.4 L) Red Sauce, recipe follows, or your favorite red sauce

For the Red Sauce

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 garlic cloves, smashed then peeled
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• Two 24 oz jars tomato passata (aka strained tomato purée)
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 cup basil leaves

Method

Make the Red Sauce

• In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the olive oil and garlic and let it start to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic gets a little color, about 2 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
• Add the passata, the 1 tbsp of salt, and 1 cup of hot water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and lower the heat to cook at a nice moderate simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Scoop out and discard the garlic, then add the basil, tearing the leaves as you do. Stir to wilt the basil, season with salt, and turn off the heat. You’ll have about 6 cups of sauce.

Make the Braciole

• Top a steak with plastic wrap, then, with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan, pound the steaks one at a time on a cutting board until they’re about ¼ in (6 mm) thick each. Season the steak generously with salt on both sides.
• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, and parsley. Spread the mixture over the top of each piece of beef, leaving about a ½ in (13 mm) border. Carefully roll the steaks lengthwise into nice tight little logs. Gram Gram “toothpicked” each log to keep them from unrolling. You can do that, too, using two per roll – one at each end – or sure, Ina, you can use kitchen twine.
• In a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm the oil to shimmering and brown the thicc beef packages in two batches to avoid crowding, flipping once, about 10 minutes per batch. You want them really deep brown, so don’t rush. Transfer them to a plate when they’re done, leaving the toothpicks or kitchen twine in until you serve.
• Turn off the heat, then add the sauce plus ½ cup (120 ml) of water, stirring and scraping the pan with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Nestle the beef in the sauce in a single layer, partially cover the pot, and adjust the heat to cook at a gentle simmer, flipping the rolls once, until you can cut the meat with a spoon, 2 ½ to 3 hours. Gradually add water while it cooks, if necessary, to keep the sauce saucy. Be sure to remove any toothpicks or kitchen twine before eating!

Serving Suggestions

The braciole pairs naturally with pasta. Toss spaghetti, rigatoni, ziti, or another favourite shape with some of the braising sauce, then serve the pasta alongside the beef. Creamy polenta is another excellent accompaniment because it provides a soft base for the meat and absorbs the rich tomato sauce.

For a comforting family-style meal, serve the braciole with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or crusty Italian bread. Garlic bread, focaccia, or ciabatta is especially useful for collecting the sauce left on the plate.

For entertaining, arrange the braciole on a large serving platter and cover the rolls with sauce. If sliced, the spiral of beef, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, and parsley creates an attractive presentation. Always check every portion carefully to confirm all toothpicks or pieces of kitchen twine have been removed.

Final Thoughts

This Gram Gram’s Braciole recipe represents Italian-inspired comfort food at its most rewarding. Thin pieces of top-round steak are filled with Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, and parsley before being rolled, browned, and slowly braised in fragrant tomato-basil sauce.

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