Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook until the onion is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add as many of the braciole as will fit in a single layer and cook, turning the braciole as necessary, until golden on all sides, about 7 minutes.
I finally ordered a Lidia Bastianich cookbook – she’s the absolute Queen of Italian cooking – and she had this Braised Beef Rolls (Braciole di Manzo) recipe waiting just for me. When you make this for dinner, start at about 2 or 2:30 p.m.
A 90-year-old Italian fellow called Pappa owned it and the menu was full of authentic Italian recipes. The dish that sticks in my mind is the braciole (bra-cho-le) – a flattened piece of beef filled with a bread, cheese, raisin, pine nut stuffing, rolled up and braised for hours in a homemade red sauce. It was heaven.
Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning television host, best-selling cookbook author, and restaurateur. She has held true to her Italian roots and culture, which she proudly and warmly invites her fans to experience. Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning television host, best-selling cookbook author, and restaurateur.