The Roman-style rolls in tomato sauce are a tasty and genuine second course, widespread throughout Italy – in Naples and Southern Italy known as “braciole al sugo” – and in Rome, at least in my experience, one of the typical Sunday lunch dishes. A symbol of practical and flavorful home cooking, Roman-style rolls in tomato sauce are perfect for those who want to serve both a first and second course with a single preparation. It is customary to cook them in plenty of tomato sauce which, enriched by the meat’s flavor, becomes an excellent pasta sauce, much like the Neapolitan ragù. The rolls are made with slices of beef or veal (the round or top round cuts are best) and require slow, prolonged cooking to remain tender and succulent. The traditional filling for Roman-style rolls includes a slice of prosciutto, a piece of celery, and a piece of carrot, but many use pancetta instead of prosciutto. As mentioned, Roman-style rolls in tomato sauce need a long cooking time to become tender, making them ideal for a slow cooker if you have one. If you are short on time, you can achieve a similar result using a pressure cooker. In the article, I explain in detail all three cooking methods. Serve the rolls as a second course and use their flavorful tomato sauce to dress a nice plate of spaghetti: a combination that will win everyone over at the table!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Slow Cooking, Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Lazio
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 826.84 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 11.06 (g) of which sugars 0.96 (g)
- Proteins 44.53 (g)
- Fat 67.99 (g) of which saturated 25.98 (g)of which unsaturated 26.14 (g)
- Fibers 2.44 (g)
- Sodium 1,099.12 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 230 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Roman-Style Beef Rolls
- 1.76 lbs beef slices (or veal)
- 5.3 oz prosciutto crudo
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 2.1 cups tomato purée (1 cup if using a slow cooker)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan large with lid
- Kitchen Twine
- 1 Frying Pan non-stick
- 1 Slow cooker at least 3.5 liters
- 1 Pressure cooker 7 liters
How to Prepare Roman-Style Rolls in Tomato Sauce
To prepare the rolls in tomato sauce, start by scraping the carrot and celery and cutting them into sticks (1). Lightly pound the slices of meat and lightly salt them inside (2). Do not overdo it as the prosciutto is already very savory. Place a slice of prosciutto inside without letting it overflow (3).
Place a piece of carrot and a piece of celery about 2/3 of the way down the length of the slice (4) and start rolling it up (5). Finally, close it with a piece of kitchen twine (6). If you prefer, you can secure them with a toothpick. Continue in the same way to form the other rolls.
In a large pan, brown the peeled garlic clove in the oil, along with a piece of carrot and a piece of celery (7). Then add the rolls (8) and brown them well on all sides. Then turn up the heat and deglaze with the white wine (9).
Let it evaporate for a minute or two, then lower the heat to medium and add the tomato (10). Salt, pepper, and thin the sauce with half a cup of hot water (11). Cover with a lid and let the rolls stew in the sauce for at least 1 hour over low heat, turning them occasionally and adding more hot water little by little if the sauce becomes too thick. After the cooking time, turn off the heat (12) and, if you want to use the sauce to dress pasta, remove the rolls with some of their sauce and keep them warm.
To cook the rolls in tomato sauce in a slow cooker, first brown them in a non-stick frying pan and deglaze with the wine (thus following the traditional recipe up to step 9). After the wine has evaporated, transfer them to the pre-heated slow cooker. Add 150 g of tomato purée, mix well, and close with the lid. Cook the rolls for 6 hours on low mode or 3 hours on high mode.
If you want, you can save some time by cooking the rolls in tomato sauce in a pressure cooker: brown them directly in the pressure cooker (without the lid) following the same steps as the traditional cooking method up to step 10. Then add 3/4 cup of hot water, seal tightly, and cook for 20 minutes from the whistle.
As always when using a pressure cooker, once it starts whistling, lower the heat just enough to maintain a constant whistle. After the time has passed, turn off the heat, open the steam valve, and let it escape until the safety valve drops. Then open the pressure cooker and let the sauce thicken over low heat for a couple of minutes if necessary.
Storage
You can store the rolls in tomato sauce in the refrigerator, closed in an airtight container, for about 3 days.
Tips and Variations
Instead of white wine, you can use red wine, which will give the sauce a darker color and a richer taste. If available, use a good beef broth instead of water to dilute the sauce. Many add a clove of minced garlic to the filling of the rolls.
