Not too sure how to spell and pronounce it, but in barese it sounds like ‘brah-joh-lah’. I am lucky enough to have my mother’s recipe which I continue to use and would like to share with you. Imagine how much nostalgia is treasured in these precious culinary memories. This amazing slow-cooked ragù with braciole (involtini) is packed full of flavour and tradition. The ragu’ must simmer away for hours on a Sunday morning and the feeling is like being in Bari Vecchia (the old city of Bari) where you can also witness skilled cooks making orecchiette type pasta. Infact, this particular recipe is usually served with orecchiette, but feel free to use the past you prefer.

Step 1

My ingredients

• 4 steaks or veal slices (paletta, cappello del prete, falda) sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic
• I bunch fresh parsley
• Half a  cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1 small onion
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 bottles sauce/salsa
• 2 bay leaves ( found in the Mediterranean, I use this herb quite often in my cooking )
• Fresh basil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Pancetta or bacon cubes

Step 2

How to proceed

• Ask your butcher to prepare  4 slices of meat.
• Pound the meat.
• Language bite: we pound to tenderize the meat as it breaks down the muscle fibers that make meat tough. Pounding also evens meat out. This process helps the meat to cook faster.
• Season each slice of meat with salt and pepper.
• Grate (releases more aroma and flavour) the garlic and sprinkle or paste onto meat.
• Sprinkle Percorino Romano (sheep’s milk cheese produced ‘exclusively’ in Lazio, Sardinia and Tuscany)  cheese generously and add freshly chopped parsley.
• Drizzle with  EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) .
• Roll the slices of meat and close by piercing with toothpicks.
• Lia’s tip: we generally add pancetta and slices of Romano cheese before wrapping.

Step 3

Gentle, slow simmering

• Prepare a pot or pan and put in the olive oil, chopped onion, le braciole and allow to sauté tossing and turning for a few minutes.
• Add the bay leaves.
• Add the white wine and allow to evaporate.
• Add the salsa (homemade passata di pomodoro) , water, basil, salt and pepper and allow to simmer for about 4 hours.

Lia’s tip: we use salsa Rosso Gargano and I generally add half a bottle of water to the sauce / 2 bottles of sauce = 1 bottle of water.

• During this time, stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that the ragu’ does not stick to the pan.

Enjoy!