Halloween Entertaining: Savory Severed Arm in Marinara Sauce!

If you enjoy getting in the Halloween spirit as much as I do and plan on entertaining on this most gruesome of holidays, this recipe for Savory Severed Arm in Marinara Sauce will be a hands-down favorite! Last year I had the pleasure of preparing “the arm” with two of my favorite culinary compadres, Dwight Langford and his grandmother Beverly Langford aka the lovely Miss Bev. Both Dwight and Miss Bev are wonderful cooks and I so enjoyed having them in the kitchen to help make this fun and festive dish.

I first saw this recipe on “Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Halloween Special” a few years ago and it is one of the few dishes I’ve ever made that can be described as simultaneously revolting and delicious. Butterflied flank steak, Italian cheeses and bread crumbs are rolled up to form the arm while the hand consists of a mixture of ground beef and spices. Once formed, the entire thing is covered with prosciutto which, when cooked, resembles burnt flesh. The end result is incredibly tasty though – I promise!

This recipe is a tad time intensive and while I followed it to a tee the first time I subsequently used pre-made marinara sauce which definitely helped and for aesthetics, I added sliced almonds as “fingernails” which made the meaty, gory arm even more creepy. You will also need kitchen twine to tie up the arm as it roasts so be sure to pick some up at the store. Although it looked positively hideous when it came out of the oven (pictured above), it received rave reviews from my guests and there wasn’t a “fingernail” or crumb of the arm left at the end of the night. Of course, Louis the Lion and Coco the Cowgirl (pictured below) were more than happy to help us finish it!

If you’re looking for a wine to pair with your Savory Severed Arm, a hearty, food-friendly red like an Australian Shiraz or an Italian Barbera would be a wonderful choice. If you’re looking for other recipes to round out your Halloween feast, here are a few more from Nadia’s Halloween special: Worm and Maggot Salad, Double-Decker Coffin Sandwiches and Creepy Bocconcini Eyeballs with Prosciutto “Flesh” & Blood Salsa. Although these recipes are delicious, “the arm” is definitely the pièce de résistance! Please scroll down for the recipe for the Savory Severed Arm and you can find the other recipes from Nadia’s Halloween Special by clicking the recipe names above.

Big thanks to Dwight and Miss Bev for their help in the kitchen and we’d like to wish you a very Happy and Delicious Halloween!

Cheers,

“Savory Severed Arm in Marinara Sauce”
Adapted from Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen
Serves 6-8

For the Hand:
1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 teaspoon steak spice
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Slices almonds for fingernails

For the Arm:
1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup pecorino cheese, grated
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 slices provolone cheese
4 ounces prosciutto, for covering
45 oz. jar of marinara sauce (Prego works perfectly)

Directions:
1.) For the hand: Mix together the parsley, steak spice, chili flakes, oregano, chives, egg, garlic and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the beef and mix together for 30 seconds to season the beef. Don’t over-mix. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.) For the arm: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the breadcrumbs, pecorino, cranberries, parsley and garlic in a small bowl. Quickly mix in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.

3.) Lay the flank steak flat on a cutting board and with a sharp Chef’s knife, butterfly the steak by slicing it in half lengthwise but leaving it connected at the outermost edge so it opens like a book (for a great video on how to do this, please click here). Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper and then lay the mozzarella and provolone slices on the inside of the freshly butterflied steak. Add breadcrumb mixture and roll up the steak, tying with butcher’s twine at each end. Sprinkle the entire exterior of the roll with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and brown the roll on both sides, 10 minutes. Remove the meat with tongs and place on a baking sheet. Cover the arm with half of the prosciutto so that it looks like skin.

4.) Assembly and cooking: Remove the hand mixture from the refrigerator and make a large patty to resemble the palm of a hand and place it at the end of the arm on the baking sheet. Cover with some of the remaining prosciutto. Roll out 5 fingers with the remaining beef mixture, using your own hand as a guide. Cover each finger with the remaining prosciutto and then place a sliced almond where the fingernail should be.

5.) Cook: In order to see the arm more clearly, pour the marinara sauce all around the arm on the baking sheet rather than over it. It’s nice to let the prosciutto “skin” get nice and crispy! Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, basting with the marinara as needed at the 30 minute mark. Remove the foil and bake uncovered until tender, another 45 minutes, basting again at the 30 minute mark.

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