Grilled braciole with tomato-caper relish

Issue 44: A summery take on an Italian-American classic, inspired by 'The Bear.'

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There’s a flashback scene in The Bear where the siblings are telling stories, cooking with each other, and arguing about what goes in their recipe. 

“We’re not doing fucking raisins,” Carmy’s brother, Michael, quips. 

The second that scene opened I knew exactly what they were making: braciole. 

For the uninitiated, braciole is an Italian-American dish that’s an all day affair, which is why it’s usually reserved for special occasions or a long Sunday cook. It’s essentially fillings rolled into pounded-flat beef, tied right, braised for a few hours in a tomato sauce, then served with pasta and/or bread. The side of an Italian family talking loudly at each other is optional. 

There’s no agreed upon set of fillings, but you’ll usually find some combo of prosciutto, breadcrumbs, capers, herbs, garlic, pine nuts, a ton of Parmesan cheese, and yes, raisins. It’s time-consuming, fun to make (who doesn’t need to pound some aggression out?), and a seriously underrated entry in the Italian-American food canon. 

Watching this scene, my first thought was that I couldn’t remember the last time I had braciole. My second thought was, wow I need it right now. 

But with the show premiering in the middle of summer and my displeasure for being hot, I wasn’t about to turn on my oven to satisfy a now-intense craving for braciole. So I thought: what if I could make it more summer appropriate?

Our family’s recipe calls for pine nuts and capers in addition to other fillings. But I’m not that interested in pine nuts, so I just included my favorite parts: prosciutto, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, and a showering of parm. I replaced the braise entirely, and used the capers for a tomato-caper relish to go on top. 

Courtney Storer, a culinary producer on The Bear, makes her breadcrumbs from scratch and that’s probably a smart move. She uses panko breadcrumbs with a lot of garlic, oregano, parmesan, and pecorino.

This faster, fresher, grilled version is nowhere near traditional, but it still gives me the beefy, briney, and tomato-y notes I crave. 

P.S. According to my brother (and me tbh), the relish is addicting. We think it would be good on: a sandwich, toast, a meaty piece of fish. So maybe make a double batch?

make it rain parm.

Grilled Braciole with Tomato-Caper Relish