Sautéed Spiced Beef Cutlets
Here is another delicious example of the enduring influence in Friuli of the spice trade that flourished during the Serenissima, the centuries-long epoch of the Venetian Republic. As you will find in this chapter, cinnamon dresses potato gnocchi, page 80, and lends depth to roasted lamb shoulder and its sauce, page 87. And in this recipe, ground cloves and cinnamon are the crowning seasonings for thin cutlets of beef, rolled and sautéed, so the spicy fragrance perfumes your whole kitchen. As a spring or summer dinner, I love these quick and delightful braciole with a tossed cotta e cruda salad, page 297. And they are good anytime with the Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes, page 78. On a cold day, though, serve them with a warming bowl of polenta for a delicious and typically Friulian meal.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about a dozen rolled cutlets, serving 6
Ingredients
Recommended Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
With a sharp long knife, slice the beef across the grain at a slight slant into 12 thin, roughly equal cutlets. Start cutting at one end of the slab, with the knife blade at a sharp angle, so the slices have a large cut surface.
Step 2
Tenderize the cutlets on both sides with the toothed face of the meat mallet, then pound with the flat face to spread them into long ovals, about 5 inches wide. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the oval braciole, using about 1 teaspoon salt in all.
Step 3
Stir 4 tablespoons of the soft butter and all the chopped parsley together until creamy, and spread about a teaspoon on each braciola, covering the top surface. Roll up each oval from one of the narrow ends, enclosing the parsley butter, and weave a toothpick through the flap to secure the roll. Sprinkle salt on the outside of all the rolls, using about 1/2 teaspoon.
Step 4
To prepare the coating and seasoning for the braciole: Spread the flour in a plate. Pour the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl, and beat in the chopped garlic, the remaining salt, and the freshly ground pepper. Stir together the ground cinnamon and cloves, and reserve the spice mix in the fine-mesh sieve.
Step 5
Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, drop in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and set over a low flame, melting and heating the butter until foaming (but don’t let it brown). As the skillet heats, dredge 3 or 4 of the braciole in flour, shake off the excess, and drop them in the bowl of beaten eggs. Turn to coat well with egg and garlic, and sift a bit of the spice mixture over their tops.
Step 6
When the butter is gently bubbling, lay the rolls in the skillet, spiced side down, and sift spices on the top side. Working quickly, dredge and coat the remaining rolls in batches, sprinkling the spices all over as they go into the skillet.
Step 7
When all the braciole are in the pan, raise the heat a bit so the meat is sizzling gently. Slowly sauté the rolls, rotating them every few minutes, until nicely browned all over and cooked through, 10 minutes or longer. Slice into a roll to check for doneness; if it seems needed, give the thicker ones more time. As each roll is done, remove it to a platter and pull out the toothpick. Serve hot.
