Pork Braciole with Ragu

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday.  The craziness in New Orleans begins.  But this post is not about some New Orleans food.  It's about the Italian Carnivale.  It's about Red Pack Tomatoes celebration of Carnivale with a giveaway for you!  Yes, you!
 
I wanted to make something special for the occassion so I went for the Braciole.  I have never made it before.  I had most of the things on hand to make the recipe.  Along with a couple cans of Red Pack crushed tomatoes that Red Pack shared with me.  It came together way easier than I had ever imagined it would.  Pounding the meat was the hardest part.  The rest, just throwing things into the pan, per the usual.

So what does ragu mean?  It means "(in Italian cooking) a sauce typically made with ground meat, onions, tomato puree, and red wine, and served with pasta".  So technically I made ragu but it did not include pasta



Pork Braciole with Ragu


1 cup panko
1/4 cup parsley
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 min.and drained

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 2-1/2 lb. boneless pork loin roast, cut into 16 slices and pounded 1/8" thick
1/4 pound bacon

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine
Two 28-oz. cans Red Pack crushed tomatoes, juice included
1 tablespoon basil, dried
1 teaspoon oregano, dried

1. Slice your meat into, roughly four inch by four inch pieces, about an inch thick. Set aside in a cool place.


2. Make the stuffing.
Cook 1/2 pound of bacon in large skillet.  Once it is browned, add in the onion, Cook until it is translucent.  

Combine panko crumbs, 3 tablespoons parsley, the cheese, garlic, toasted pine nuts, plumped up raisins (soak them in hot water for 15 minutes) and the onion/bacon mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Spoon the filling into the meat and roll it up tight, pinching at the end and inserting a few toothpicks into it to keep it closed up.


4. In that same skillet with the onion and bacon, brown the rolled up meat.  Turning to meat with tongs and browning as many sides as you can.

5. Pour in the wine and cook until more than half is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

6. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, remaining parsely, salt, and pepper, and simmer until the meat is tender, around 30 minutes. Remove the rolls, turn the heat to high, and reduce the sauce until thickened, about 7 minutes. Then turn the heat off and return the rolls to the sauce.

Approximately 420 calories per serving.

Do you want to enter for the giveaway?  It's Simple. Leave a comment below saying what your favorite Italian dish is or what is the most unique Italian dish you ever ate was.

One entry per person. Enter by March 3rd at midnight.

One winner will be drawn at random.

Winner will be announced on March 4th.