Braciola

This recipe began life when I read about it in an article on (of all places) the ESPN website. I found a few recipes and concocted the following from them.

1 kg lean steak (flank or round works best)
Butcher’s string
cooking oil (I suggest olive, but canola works too)
2 eggs
1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
300g coarsely shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated parmesan
1 ½ cups raisins
4-5 green onions
2 tablespoons olive oil (this I recommend olive)
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Filling:
Beat eggs and add parsley, rasped garlic, and olive oil. Mix.
Chop onions at desired coarseness (we prefer thinly sliced) and add. Mix.
Add bread crumbs, cheeses, and raisins. Mix.
Set aside for later.

Steak:
You can either purchase fast-fry (or “minute”) steak from your butcher, or you can purchase a larger cut and thinly fillet it yourself. You want the steak to be approximately ¼” or so thick after pounding. Lay each slice of meat out flat and spread with a thin layer of the filling. The rule of thumb I use is no more than the depth of one raisin. Roll the steak up and tie with butcher’s string.

At this point, braciolas may be frozen. We have found they stick together, so freezing them separated on a flat surface until hard would be recommended prior to placing them in a freezer bag or container.

Cooking:
We use our barbecue because this recipe was first tried on a very hot summer day, but an oven will work as well.

Place braciolas in a pan with cooking oil and fry until brown on all sides. Remove from frying pan and place in a disposable aluminum foil baking pan. Pour drippings over top, and add more cooking oil if necessary to coat the bottom of the pan. Place in a barbecue over medium heat (our temperature gauge reads in the 350°F range) for approximately 30-45 minutes, until well done. Remove from barbecue, cut string, cut into half inch thick "spirals" and serve.