Monday, December 27, 2010

December 23rd, 2010

Today is the B-day, as in Braciole day.  My dad comes over for the afternoon and we get to cooking. 

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It starts with making the sauce the day before.  I then make the breadcrumbs in the food processor.  It kills me I had to buy the parsley, basil, and thyme when I had more than I knew what to do with just last month in the garden.  But the rosemary I picked before the big snow and stored in the frig, so at least I can say that’s homegrown.  In the blender I put herbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs. 

DSC09973 So it is flank steak, pounded out, topped with the herb breadcrumbs, prosciutto, provolone, more breadcrumbs, and hard boiled egg.  Now what?

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Roll up the steak and secure with twine. 

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Sear on all sides in a big sauce pan.  My dad has a great old school copper ring one that I love and he brings it over for the task.  This year I made a crazy mess of his pan, thank goodness for SOS brillo pads!

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There they are all seared and ready to go in the oven.  I top each flank steak with a couple ladles of Bolognese sauce and a cup or so of beef broth.  Put in a 375 degree oven covered for a good hour, transfer to frig.   On Christmas we take it out of the frig, slice up, and then cook it in the combined sauce/broth for another hour. 

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This is what it looks like ready to serve on Christmas. 

After my dad and I finished all our cooking and cleaned the kitchen, I was in no mood to look at or cook any more meat.  So Trent came home with the house smelling like a steak restaurant and was then served this for dinner.

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Wheat bread, ricotta cheese, spinach and edamame salad, topped with an egg.  It hit the spot.  It was a far cry from what was on the table hours ago.

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8 bracioles waiting to be topped with Bolognese and put in the oven.  We make extra and my dad and I keep them in the freezer for meals throughout the year.  But we learned the hard way do not put eggs in any of them you plan to freeze.  Frozen, then reheated egg does not look good, nor taste good.  Trust me.  Happy B-Day!

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