Pork Braciole

This past weekend we decided to take a friend to dinner at one of our favorite local Italian Restaurants, Lonzano's. Every time I go to Lonzano's I try something new. Usually when I find something I like, I stick to it, but they have so many tempting options, I feel the need to experiment...and I have yet to be disappointed. This past weekend, I decided to try the Veal Rollitini. It was veal pounded thin and stuffed with a ham and breadcrumb filling. It is usually served with a sherry wine sauce, but their maranara is so good, I decided to get that instead. YUM! It was so good, I wanted to try to make it at home this week. The dish reminded me of a dish my mom makes called Braciole. It is basically a thin piece of beef which she wraps around a filling of seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese and cooks in the tomato sauce. One of my favorites! I decided this week to try it with pork. The end result was so tasty, but with the cut of pork I brought home (and the way I used it), it wasn't as thin as I like it, but since it was so delicious I will still post the recipe. I would recommend trying a pork cutlet that you can smash very thin.

Pork Braciole

1 pound pork (I used a loin that I cut to flatten and tried to thin, but it wasn't think enough, so I suggest a pork cutlet)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
2-3 small cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 tsp salt
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/4 jar (approx 1 cup) Ragu tomato sauce (I used Old World Style)

1. In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheeses, salt, garlic and mix until well incorporated. Sprinkle mixture over each piece of thin pork. Wrap the pork around the filling and secure (I used toothpicks, but remember how many are in the meat, you could also use cooking twine).
2. Bring pan (use one with sides, because once meat is browned, I put the sauce over to cook through) to heat over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add pork. Brown on all sides. If you have a smaller pan, you may have to work in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam and never brown. Once all of the pork has browned, add it all to the pan and cover with tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to rapid simmer and cover. Lower heat to low and allow to cook through (I let mine go for about 45 min to an hour).

I serve mine over pasta and it was SO GOOD! I couldn't stop eating the sauce!

Calzones...Yum!

So tonight I tried out a new recipe I found on foodnetwork.com. I bought ricotta about 1 week ago and I had forgotten to use it for the recipe I intended it for. I went online looking for something to use it in and I came across a recipe for Ham Calzones on foodnetwork.com. I LOVE calzones and my hubby loves pizza (he has never had a calzone), so I figured why not! I tried to make it lower in fat by using less mozzerella. They came out tasty, but I would recommend forgoing the diet for one night and using the cheese it calls for....mine was not gooey enough. The dough I found I used less flour than it called for. I also tried to use some whole wheat flour. So instead of all white flour, I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1.5 cups of white flour. I also did not use the wine in the dough...not my thing. I waited to serve so it would set up, but it might be more gooey if served right out of the oven. For sauce, we used Ragu pizza sauce. So here is the original recipe...

Ricotta and Ham Calzone
Recipe courtesy Mario Batali
Prep Time:
20 min
Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients
1 recipe basic bread dough, recipe follows
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/3 pound prosciutto cotto or ham, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the crust
Pizza paddle

Directions
I recommend buying a prepared tile baking stone for all pizza and bread working at home. They are available at gourmet shops and specialty chef supply stores.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare the bread dough as directed, cutting the dough into 2 pieces.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, prosciutto, mozzarella, 1 egg, and pecorino. Using a wooden spoon, stir the filling until well combined. Set aside.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into 2 rounds.
Coat the pizza paddle with the sea salt. Place 1 dough round on the paddle spread with coarse sea salt.
Spoon the filling onto the center of the dough round laid out on the pizza paddle. Using your fingers, dab a little extra-virgin olive oil all around the edge of the dough. Fold each round over itself to make a half-moon shape. Using your fingers, crimp the edges, sealing the calzone.
In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the remaining 1 egg. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, dab the top of the calzone with the egg mixture, which will help the top turn a beautiful golden brown.
Place in the oven and cook until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and serve immediately.

Basic Bread Dough:
1/4 cup light red wine or white wine
3/4 cup warm water
1 package yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
Combine the wine, water, and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt, and the olive oil and mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to make a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir with the spoon for 2 to 3 minutes to incorporate as much flour as possible.
Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured board or marble surface. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until you have a smooth, firm dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Set aside to rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, cut the risen dough into 2 equal pieces and knead each portion into a round. Cover again and let rise for 15 minutes. The dough is now ready to be used.


I still have ricotta left over, so stay tuned for some other use for ricotta cheese.