Beef & Broccoli-Rabe Braciole Quesadilla

Italian style beef braciole and broccoli-rabe in a parmesan encrusted tortilla, inspired by the fast paced city, but with deep flavors from New York’s deep roots of faith, food and culture.

Serves: 4-6 people as a Main Course.

Total Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes

Special Ingredients or Equipment: None

INGREDIENTS

Beef Braciole:
1-2 Lbs Beef Round Roast, Cut into ½ inch steaks and pounded thin
8-10 ounces Tomato Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Parsley, Rough Chopped
1 Package Prosciutto, Diced
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Broccoli-rabe:
½ Bunch Broccoli-rabe, Rough Chopped into ¼ inch pieces
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
¼ Cup Water
2 tsp Olive Oil
4 Filets Anchovies
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper

Quesadilla:
1 /4 cup Parmesan cheese, Shredded (per quesadilla)
2 10 -12 inch flour tortillas per serving
2 tsp Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs, per serving
1-2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar Glaze, or reduced balsamic vinegar (Optional)



INSTRUCTIONS:

Beef Braciole:
1. Cut round steaks into 4-inch by 4-inch sections and pound them out as thin as possible into minute steaks, using the flat side of the mallet to make the surface of the meat smooth. Then season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. In a separate saucepan heat up tomato sauce, minced garlic, and parsley.
3. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a hot pan (medium / high heat) and sear the minute steaks on both sides for about 1 minute or less per side.
4. Add the seared minute steaks and shreds of prosciutto into the tomato sauce mixture and cook for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Broccoli-rabe
1. Bring ¼ cup of water and 2 tsp of olive oil to a boil in a hot pan and add the broccoli-rabe to it.
2. When the broccoli-rabe starts to wilt and the water evaporates add the garlic and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 5-10 minutes depending on how you like your broccoli-rabe.
4. In the last minute of cooking add in the anchovy filets and toss to dissolve them and give your broccoli rabe a great umami flavor.

Parmesan Tortilla:
1. Over medium heat, pour 2 Tbs of grated parmesan cheese into a NON-STICK pan in an even layer.
2. After 1-2 minutes it will melt and start to bubble. At that point, take the tortilla and press it on top of the cheese, hold it there for a few seconds so the cheese adheres to the quesadilla. Carefully using a spatula, scrape underneath the cheese to remove it from the pan. Make two of these per quesadilla.

Assembly:
1. Lay the tortilla cheese side up and place pieces of beef braciole on top of it in a single layer.
2. Add a layer of broccoli-rabe around and on top of the beef pieces, ladle a small scoop of tomato sauce (the one that the beef cooked in) onto the beef and broccoli.
3. Finally sprinkle some Italian seasoned breadcrumbs on top of the meat and broccoli to help soak up some of the sauce and for texture, then top off with a second cheese crusted tortilla.
4. Add the finished quesadilla to a hot pan to make each side nice and golden brown.
5. When finished, slice the quesadilla into 4-8 pieces and serve with a side of tomato sauce (the sauce that the beef braised in) for dipping.
6. You can optionally drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top, and garnish with fresh parsley.