Bracioles are a family favorite saved for special occasions
The July holiday has always been special in my family because it
is a mix of an Independence Day celebration and a mass birthday
party. The month kicks off with my dad’s birthday on the 1st, an
aunt on the 2nd, a cousin on the 3rd, my mom on the 7th, my sister
on the 20th and I finish off the birthday season on the 23rd.
Instead of getting together for cake or going out to dinner, we
plan an all-in-one party. And this year we hosted it at our
place.
Bracioles are a family favorite saved for special occasions
The July holiday has always been special in my family because it is a mix of an Independence Day celebration and a mass birthday party. The month kicks off with my dad’s birthday on the 1st, an aunt on the 2nd, a cousin on the 3rd, my mom on the 7th, my sister on the 20th and I finish off the birthday season on the 23rd. Instead of getting together for cake or going out to dinner, we plan an all-in-one party. And this year we hosted it at our place.
In the days before a party, there are plenty of things to be done before having guests over – some weeding in the yard, a mountain of mail on the coffee table that needs to be sorted and dog toys that need to be stored away – but the thing I am most concerned about is planning the menu. Meal planning is always a challenge since I have a big extended family that includes aunts, uncles, cousins, and more cousins. Wrangling an RSVP out of everyone is impossible so we just plan to have lots of food, and no matter how many leftovers there are, we know someone will be willing to take it.
Some of the items on the menu for the Fourth of July are a given: homemade potato and macaroni salads, made of course with Best Foods mayonnaise; tri-tip marinated overnight in our favorite marinade from Bobby Flay; and a fruit salad with a yogurt dip flavored with Jell-o.
The other menu items were still up in the air as we planned our shopping list. It was a choice between bruschetta and bracioles, both very time-intensive appetizers. In the end, the bracioles won out since we are still short on homegrown tomatoes for bruschetta. One red tomato just wasn’t enough.
Bracioles, which are made of thinly sliced meat rolled up with a filling, are something I’ve been eating since I was a kid. But it is a treat that is mostly reserved for special occasions since it takes so long to make them. My first memory of bracioles is my grandfather grilling them up for my first communion celebration at Miller Park in Gilroy. We had them for junior high school promotion parties, high school graduations and other memorable events. No one really knows where the recipe came from except that my grandfather got it from my aunt who got it from a book or magazine. A search online for bracioles, which for most of my life I had been mispronouncing with an “fr” sound, reveals that the dish is an Italian one of meat that is often fried up and served with tomato sauce. I found it a bit funny that my father’s Mexican-American father introduced my mother’s Italian-American relatives to the recipe.
The family recipe we use takes a step away from the Italian tradition. The meat, which is usually thinly sliced flank steak pounded out flat, is filled with a mixture of butter, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. But somewhere an Asian twist came in with an overnight marinade made of marmalade and soy sauce (we just use teriyaki sauce.) And then the cooking style is a little California with the grilling rather than frying. Once again, the bracioles disappeared as quickly as we could pull them off the grill.
Though the Fourth of July has come and gone – as have all those hand-rolled bracioles – these are summertime recipes that can be used while the weather is good for grilling and outdoor meals.
Enjoy.
Teriyaki bracioles
1-1 1/2 lb. flank steak, or other thinly sliced meat cut into 1 1/2 – inch strips (most meat departments will cut it thinner)
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. Italian bread crumbs
Toothpicks
3 c. teriyaki sauce
Between two pieces of plastic, flatten meat with a meat tenderizer as much as possible. Slice steak into 1 ½-inch wide strips, cutting against the grain.
In a bowl, mix butter, parmesan and bread crumbs together.
Spread the mixture onto one side of each strip of meat and roll it up. Put two toothpicks in each braciole to hold it together.
When all the bracioles are rolled, place them in a tightly sealing container and add teriyaki sauce to cover them (a plastic ziplock bag can be used.) Marinate overnight, turning the container several times.
Heat barbecue grill to medium heat, reserving a spot on the grill that is not directly over the coals for the bracioles (the butter will make the flames flare up if the grill is too hot or the meat is over open flame). Cook bracioles for three to four minutes, turning once. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Makes about 30 bracioles.
Macaroni salad
1 lb. macoroni pasta
1 c. celery, diced
½ c. red onion, diced
5 eggs, hard boiled and diced
1 c. black olives
2 c. mayonnaise, or enough to moisten the pasta and ingredients
1-2 tbsp. yellow mustard
paprika and salt to taste
Cook macaroni per package directions. Dice onion, celery and hard-boiled eggs. When pasta is al dente, remove from the heat and into a strainer. Run cold water over it to stop cooking and keep it from sticking together.
Add macaroni, onion, celery, eggs and olives to a large bowl. Add mayonnaise a half-cup at a time, until desired moistness is reached. Add mustard, paprika and salt to taste.
(For potato salad, use same basic recipe except add diced, cooked Idaho potatoes instead of macaroni.)
