While I usually serve these delicious beef rolls with pasta, it is just as often served in Italy with potatoes. I think it's uniquely American to assume everything Italian is or comes with pasta but I do like it with bucatini (very thick hollow spaghetti), cavatappi, or spaghetti....pasta with a lot of chewy substance seems right with the sauce and steak. Like meatloaf, every Italian family has their preferred version of what they use to stuff braciole, and I've tried many of them; some use Parmesan, variations on the chosen Italian hams ( capicola, etc); even cooked Italian sausage, the list is endless. This is the one I prefer.
First, the rich, quick sauce:
Italian Gravy: Just put all the following ingredients in a large, heavy pot (remember to allow space for the meat later). Bring it to boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until thick and rich. That's the point where you'll add the meat unless you plan to cook it together for an extra 30 minutes.
2 29-oz cans tomato puree, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 c. chopped onion, 1/2 c. chopped parsley, 1-2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced, 3/4 c. Burgundy or Cabernet wine, 2 TB dry basil, 1 TB dry oregano, 2 tsp. salt, 1 TB sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 c water. This freezes well, and makes about 8 cups.
Back to the beef....
Be sure the beef is sliced quite thin....by the time it gets rolled up it will be thick on its own accord, and we want it to be fork-tender without cooking off the sauce or spending all day simmering. Start with the most vital step: choosing the beef. Buy 4 (full-size) slices of top round steak.....1/4" thick. Call a day ahead and ask the meat department to cut the slices for you and emphasize the thinness. Tell them you actually want it 1/8" thick, like scallopini. If not, when you get it home, put it between pieces of plastic wrap and pound the hell out of them til they are about 1/8" , which is pretty much un-measurable. I think I figure at least 1/3 lb per person. In summary, it's not too thin unless you can read through it! If you're using really big pieces, you'll cut them into 2 or 3 rolls before browning. Using small pieces you may just make one roll each, about 4-5" long.
Leave the steak on the bottom piece of plastic. Season each piece with salt and pepper, and garlic salt. Then on each, sprinkle 2-3 TB. grated romano cheese, preferably fresh, a thin layer of prosciutto and/or very thinly sliced hard or genoa salami, about 2 TB dark raisins, 1 TB pine nuts, and 1 TB chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Lift the edges of the plastic wrap and let it help you get the roll started...roll up tightly, jellyroll fashion, and tie each roll every 2" or so with cotton string. Let the ends dnagle after you tie the knot, it will help locate the string later so you can remove it before serving. Brown the rolls on all sides in a little hot olive oil, then cover with Italian gravy ( that's 'sauce' to us) and simmer until the meat is tender, somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes, it should be very tender. The length of time will depend on the thickness of the rolls. If unsure, cut a roll in half and check the tenderness of an inside edge. It should be fork-tender. Or if they seem to be getting tender too slowly, ( probably because the beef was too thick) cut bigger rolls in half to speed it up just a bit.
With pasta this may serve 8 or more. Cut the strings, serve with the sauce and sprinkle a little parlsey on top for color.
