Involtini di Manzo
(een-vohl-TEE-nee dee MAHN-zoh)
Sugo della Domenica: The Sacred Sunday Dinner
The thin-sliced top round lies flat. The spool of butcher's twine sits ready. The heavy Dutch oven waits. In the working-class homes of Naples and across the Italian-American diaspora, Sunday meant the smell of garlic, wine, and tomatoes slowly simmering tough cuts of meat into utter submission. These involtini—braciole—stay true to their Neapolitan roots with a sweet, savory stuffing of Pecorino Romano, pine nuts, and raisins. The secret is the pippiare, a simmer so soft that bubbles lazily break the surface. Tie the rolls tightly, drop them in, and leave the lid cracked.
Before you start
Pound the beef slices gently between two sheets of plastic wrap to a uniform quarter-inch thickness.
Take your time with a meat mallet to tenderize the muscle fibers without tearing holes in the flesh.
Ingredients
- top round steak1 1/2 lb
- Pecorino Romano cheese1/2 cup
- pine nuts1/3 cup
- golden raisins1/3 cup
- garlic2 med clove
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/2 cup
- plain unseasoned breadcrumbs1/2 cup
- extra virgin olive oil6 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- dry red wine1/2 cup
- tomato passata24 oz
- whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes28 oz
- fresh basil leaves1/4 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Combine the filling ingredients until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Toss the grated Pecorino Romano, pine nuts, soaked raisins, garlic paste, parsley, and breadcrumbs in a bowl with three tablespoons of the olive oil.
- 02
Distribute two tablespoons of the filling down the center of each beef slice.
Leave a half-inch border around all edges so the filling won't burst out into the sauce during the long braise.
- 03
Fold the longer sides inward and roll the meat tightly from the short end.
Secure each roll firmly by weaving two toothpicks through the seam, counting exactly how many you use so you do not leave any behind.
- 04
Aggressively sear the braciole in the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.
Place the rolls seam-side down in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven to lock them shut, letting them develop a deep, dark brown crust on all sides before setting them aside on a plate.
- 05
Sauté the diced onion in the residual beef fat until soft and golden.
Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions in the same pot for about five minutes.
- 06
Deglaze the pot with red wine and vigorously scrape up all the caramelized beef bits.
Let the wine reduce by half to build a foundation of pure, concentrated flavor.
- 07
Build the sauce with the tomatoes and return the beef to the pot.
Pour in the passata and hand-crushed whole tomatoes, add a pinch of salt and the torn basil, and submerge the seared braciole along with their resting juices.
- 08
Simmer the sauce gently for at least two hours until the beef is fork-tender.
This is the golden rule of pippiare: keep the heat at its absolute lowest with the lid slightly ajar so the sauce barely whispers, gently turning the meat every thirty minutes.
Notes
Serve the Sunday way by splitting the meal into two distinct courses.
Toss the rich, meat-infused tomato sauce over a rigorous, tubular pasta like rigatoni for the first course, then serve the sliced beef on a platter as the second course with an extra ladle of sauce and a final dusting of Pecorino.
Always count your toothpicks.
If you used sixteen toothpicks to secure your rolls, you must pull exactly sixteen out before serving your guests.
From Cook Italian in America.