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1 pound beef flank steak for braciole
1 / 4 to 1 /2 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 / 4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups spaghetti sauce

1. Pound flank steak as flat as possible. Cut into more than one piece.
2. In a bowl mix garlic, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper.
3. Spread mixture on top of flattened beef. Roll up and secure with string.
4. Add butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Add beef braciole and brown on all sides very slowly on a low flame for about an hour, turning frequently. Remove some of the fat, but leave in about 2 tablespoons. Pour spaghetti sauce into frying pan covering the braciole. Simmer long and slow until tender, about 2 hours.
5. Serve over pasta with extra sauce.
6. ENJOY! – For the meat and spaghetti person this is the perfect match!

Flank steak is not exactly the most economical cut of meat, but my husband and I remember eating it often, right along with our pasta. During the lean years, when money was tight and jobs were scarce (sound familiar?), we switched to more chicken and less beef. When things were on the upswing, we returned to our beloved beef Braciole once again; it’s just so perfect and mouth watering when it’s cooked until it just falls apart with a mere touch of a fork.

My husband loves to eat, but he also enjoys cooking, so there used to be a bit of competition in our kitchen. Finally, I smartened up and kicked up the praises regarding his cooking and drop kicked my competitiveness. Who needs to be in the kitchen 24/7? My hubby can put together a mean fried chicken cutlet, certainly better than mine. So, it became “honey, these are the best chicken cutlets, I could never make them as good as you.” I have not had to fry chicken cutlets since I uttered this sentence many moons ago in the early years of marriage. Besides, frying is not my thing.

A few years ago, my husband decided he wanted to make beef Braciole, and his braciole is top notch. Yep, another dish I handed over to the man. Why should I cook and expend all my precious energy when I can share some of the work with my home chef husband?

In any case, it sends a great message to the kids. Seeing their father cook, the kids realized that cooking was not a chore or skill for women only. My son cooks also and has cooked since he was a teenager. By the time he went to college, he was very comfortable finding his way around the kitchen. My son is married now, and his lovely wife prepares dinner during the week. Come weekends, he often takes over the kitchen. We talk food now, and I love that we have this connection.

Let the man in your family into the kitchen, but don’t let him out! Praise and then praise his cooking some more. You will find that the benefits are all yours!

(Just a note – I prepared this Beef Braciole pictured here on this website by myself to photograph.)