Braciola

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Braciola (plural braciole) is the name of an Italian dish. Braciole are simple thin slices of beef pan fried in their juice, or in a light amount of olive oil. It is, probably, one of the simplest dishes in Italian cooking; served with a green salad or boiled potatoes.

In Italian American cuisine, braciole (the word is commonly pronounced /bra'zhul/ from the Sicilian pronunciation) is the name given to thin slices of meat (typically pork, chicken, or beef, but even swordfish) that are rolled with cheese and bread crumbs and fried; the bread crumbs are often left off, and the braciole are cooked along with meatballs and Italian sausage in Sunday gravy. They can be served with tomato sauce, or even plain. There exist many variations on the recipe. Changing the type of cheese and adding assorted vegetables (such as eggplant) can drastically change the taste. Braciole are not eaten as a main dish, but as a side dish at dinner, or in a sandwich at lunch.

What are known as braciole in the United States are named involtini in original Italian cuisine. Involtini are thin slices of beef (or pork, or chicken) rolled with a filling of the Parmesan cheese, eggs to give consistency and whatever additional ingredients (other cheeses, ham, bread crumbs, mushroom, onions, sausage, etc.) are available. Involtino (singular) originates from the word "voltare" (to turn), as in the action or rolling the meat around the filling (as in rolling a sheet of paper for storage). One involtino is held together by a wooden toothpick, and the dish is usually served (in various sauces: red, white, etc.) as a second course. When cooked in tomato sauce, the sauce itself is used to toss the pasta for the first course, giving a consistent taste to the whole meal.

After being stuffed and rolled, braciole can also be tied with string to hold in the stuffing. After being panfried, the rolls of meat are thrown into the sauce to finish cooking, still wrapped in string. In informal settings, the string for the braciole is left on when the meat is served, and everybody removes their own string as they eat.

The word is also used in Italian-American slang as a reference to the male reproductive organ. Examples of this usage are in the films Raging Bull and A Bronx Tale, and in The Sopranos episode "Second Opinion".