Meat Rolls Stuffed with Ham and Herbs

Involtini di Carne con Prosciutto

Mary Ann Esposito

SERVES 4

Thin slices of chicken, veal or pork can also be made into involtini, stuffed, rolled bundles with a savory filling. This dish has a nice woodsy flavor provided by fresh sage and juniper berries. Montefalco Rosso is used to make the sauce but a good dry red wine will suffice. This is a great company dish.

INGREDIENTS

8 thin veal, pork, or chicken slices cut for scaloppine
8 thin slices of prosciutto
2 tablespoons finely crushed juniper berries
8 whole sage leaves
Grinding of black pepper
Fine sea salt to taste
Filippo Berio extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Montefalco Rosso or other red wine

DIRECTIONS

Lay the meat pieces out flat. Top each one with a slice of prosciutto, a little of the crushed juniper berries, a sage leaf, a grinding of pepper, and a sprinkling of salt. Roll each piece up to form a little bundle. This is the involtino. Tie the involtini with kitchen string. Put them in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the involtini with olive oil. Bake them 5 minutes, then pour in the wine and continue baking an additional 7 minutes, basting the bundles occasionally with the wine. Serve hot.

Note: Juniper berries are in the spice section of most grocery stores; use a mortar and pestle to crush them or use a small spice grinder.

This recipe is from CIAO ITALIA IN UMBRIA by Mary Ann Esposito, published by St. Martin's Press in 2002.

item recipe is featured in Episode 0 of Season 0.

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