BRACIOLE DELLA NONNA (Grandma's bracioles)

So this recipe comes in quickly after my last post because I have had a few requests. It is a Braciole's recipe, you may be familiar with this dish from the SITCOM "Everybody Loves Raymond". Marie, Ray's mother made this dish often. There are several variations of braciole's depending on where you are in Italy. The one I post here is one my mom made often for us, mostly as a second course on a succulent Sunday dinner, and it is by far the one I am accustomed to and prefer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

NOTE: Braciole steaks should be a very thin cut and should come from the center cut of the top or bottom round. Since not everyone is familiar with Braciole steaks, I usually ask the butcher to cut me some steaks as thin as his machine will allow.

This recipe will serve 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Braciole steaks
4 thin slices of prosciutto ( you could substitute with cooked ham, but I do not recommend it)
4 thin slices of Swiss cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Vegetable Oil


DIRECTIONS:
Begin by salting and pepper the steaks. Place a slice of Swiss cheese, on one of the steaks. Ensure that the cheese is as much to the center as possible, to avoid spilling over while cooking. Place a slice of prosciutto immediately above the cheese. At this point I like to place some of the smashed garlic around the top of the steak. Roll the steaks and keep closed with string. Heat the oil and brown each of the rolled steaks ensuring they are thoroughly browned. Once you have done this you are ready to cook them in your favorite red sauce (the best is a very simple tomato sauce with butter and onions). That's it serve and enjoy.

PENNE AL CAVOLFIORE (Penne Pasta with cauliflower)

A few weeks ago a friend approached me and asked me if I would be interested in joining a group of our friends for our own "Biggest Loser Challenge". I, being as competitive as I am, of course, could not turn this one down. Well really the reason is that I know I need to shed a few pounds. So after so many months of slacking off on this blog, I decided to post one of my favorite, so to speak "healthy" recipes. This one makes me feel a little better about eating pasta and still trying to lose weight. Anyhow, I remember this from my beautiful mom, and I remember that when she made this growing up, we all of course would not be thrilled to actually eat cauliflower. Now as I said, I have not only out on a few pounds, I also would like to think that I got a little wiser and I truly love this recipe. If you end up trying it, please leave a comment on this blog whether you liked it or not. This will keep me motivated to keep posting. Well for now here it goes, enjoy:

INGREDIENTS: (Yields 6 servings)
1 medium cauliflower (break it into florets)
1 garlic clove (crush)
4 cups canned whole tomatoes (drain and chop)- I use these rather than the chopped tomatoes already because they seem to work better on this recipe
1/2 cup extra vergin olive oil
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Begin by warming up the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the garlic clove being careful not to burn it. Once the garlic is a little softer add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften as well. Make sure you stir occasionally. You are now ready for the star attraction of this recipe: Add the cauliflower pieces and mix well together. At this point you can add a little hot water (about 1/2 cup should do the trick), cover your pan and lower the heat to low (not simmer but medium low), let cook about 40 minutes or until the cauliflower is nice and tender.
While the action is happening in the sauce pan cook the penne pasta according to directions on the box. Please, please make sure you don't over or under cook the pasta (first rule of cooking italian). When the past is cooked and your cauliflower is ready, mix together (drain the pasta first please), sprinkle with parsley and salt and pepper and serve hot. Most people enjoy a little parmesan cheese but I don't use it on mine simply for taste reasons.
GIVE IT A TRY AND LET ME KNOW HOW IT TURNS OUT.