This recipe from my town of Verbicaro is the simplest version of braciole. The filling is made of fresh pork fat, parsley and
garlic. The rolls are first browned and then cooked with tomatoes to give wonderful flavor to the sauce. The rolls are served
as a second course, and topped with a little tomato sauce.
3 lb large piece of pork butt
2.5 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/4 lb of finely ground pork fat
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
8 cups of fresh chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon Kosher salt or to taste
Combine the pork fat with the minced garlic and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. This mixture should resemble
a paste. Set aside.
Trim any exterior fat from the pork and cut into scaloppini-like slices about 5x3 inches and ¼ inch thick. They don't have to be
perfect rectangles. You should have about 12 pieces. Arrange in a single layer on a sheet of plastic wrap and sprinkle with
salt.
Top each piece of pork with 2 teaspoons of the parsley mixture. Spread it evenly but stop short of the edges. Roll the slices
tightly and tie with kitchen string.
Heat a heavy, 4-quart pot over moderate heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the braciole and whole cloves of
garlic and brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Once browned on all sides, add the chopped tomatoes and basil leaves.
Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens and the meat is tender, 1 to 1.5 hours.
When the braciole are cool enough to handle, remove them from the sauce and cut away the string. Serve the braciole as a
second course with the remaining sauce.
Copyright 2004, Rosetta Costantino. All rights reserved.
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