Beef Rollatinis - a whirl of ingredients and winners of ABC Italiano

It's a truth that you may not think of something for twenty years but once you unlock one memory bank, other locks crumble and open. As I badger my mother with questions about Grandma and the family - I am hit by visions of the old Gresio kitchen. I smell aromas and respond to the sounds. I spend hours piecing memory waves together - what is memory? And what do I think I remember by virtue of the fact that I have heard the story so many times - I think I was there even if my mother assures me I was not.
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While piecing and layering anecdotes and facts - wondering if immigration, cooking and Grandma could be a children's play, I receive an intriguing e-mail. A gentleman has started an Italian food import business of hard to find Italian foods and would I like to sample some of his products and report on them? Is it serendipity? Or do thing unfold in their own time?



"I am Scott Stegen. I recently opened a website selling imported Italian food products, focusing on rare and hard to find items, like bottarga and pane carasau among many others. I have many more new products coming in the next few weeks. You can see my site here:

http://www.sausagedebauchery.com/

May I send you some things?"

And suddenly I have: 2 bags(2kg) "00" flour, 1 250g bag fennel seeds, 1 250ml bottle vincotto, 1 jar of capers from Salina, 1 500g bag of farro perlato. Enough to have fun with. I have used the fennel seeds for making my own turkey sausage (well, sort of - I just add spieces to ground turkey). I can smell the fennel through the bag. Heaven.
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For the beef rollatinis, I opened the vincotto - that is something I cannot find here. My mother is sending me a little jar so she can have some! And I use it sparingly - just for finishing. Is this me cooking? And I hungrily check his site for more ingredients. I know there is an order in the very near future. I know my mother would love a bottle of Vincotto.

We get our meat locally and because we buy in bulk, Bob Otis (a local farmer) throws in some extra cuts. He actually threw in a flat iron skirt steak - a cut rarely seen here. My mother is jealous. She hasn't seen that cut in decades. I slice it - about 3 inch wide stips.

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Rollatini's are simple meat roll-ups. In Liguria you would use veal and have a simple cheese-bread crumb stuffing. In Lazio, beef is used and the stuffing is more savory. I love how every region in Italy has their own rollatini recipe. In Valle D'Aosta, the filling has brandy and cream. In Sardegna, it is a simple filling of lardo, herbs and garlic. In Piemonte, anchovy and tuna are the stars of the stuffing. Each province developed meals according to what the land and sea provided. The foraging of an earlier people has become the cuisine of today.

Beef Rollatini with Vincotto Glaze - serves 4

1-1/2 pounds flat iron skirt (can use a flank steak, tenderloin, sirloin - anything that can be pounded flat

1-2 tbl butter (I used Earth Balance)

salt and pepper to taste

Rollatini Stuffing

3 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped

1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

1/4 cup freshly shredded Fontina

4 oz favorite mushrooms, finely chopped (I used shiitake)

4 tbl fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

olive oil to coat a large skillet

Finishing Sauce

4 tbl Vincotto or a very good balsamic vinegar

(Note: Vincotto is not interchangeable with balsamic vinegar but a good balsamic also privdes a rich syrupy sauce for finishing meats)

The Vincotto is reduced by just a third. Although, it already is thick - I could warm it and serve it. As you drizzle it over the finished rollatnis, the aroma of the grape must is a time machine - and an airline ticket. You can smell the goodness of the past. You can breathe in the vineyards of Italy.

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Beef Rollatini Preparation

Between sheets of waxed paper, pound your meat thin (1/4 inch). Put a thin layer of butter on the meat. It will help the stuffing adhere to it. Salt and pepper to taste. Moving along the width of the meat, cut it into three inch strips.

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Combine your stuffing ingredients making sure all is minced. Spread it evenly atop the meat pressing to adhere the stuffing to the beef. Roll the beef and secure with a toothpick. (Can do ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

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Cover the bottom of your skillet or pot with oil and heat till sizzling. Drop the rollatinis in the pot and brown all over. Turn with tongs to ensure even cooking. The beef takes 6-10 minutes to cook. Six minutes will be rare to medium-rare beef and 12 minutes will be medium well to well-done. Remove from pan and let rest 3-4 minutes.

In a small fry pan, add your vincotto or balsamic vinegar. Heat to a boil and reduce 1/3. You should have a sweet syrupy glaze. Drizzle over rollatinis and serve.

I may brown them oil and bake them next time.

A few serve as an entree. Or use them as an appetizer. Change the cheese, change the herbs - make it suit your tastes and your ingredinets - just as the Italians do.
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As I think of my famiglia from my past, I also smile at my family today. My firstborn's birthday is tomorrow. The young man who had the hard task of teaching me to be a mother. I read the books, I went to early childhood classes, but you know, this guy as an infant had a lot to tell me, to show me. A lot of understanding motherhood came from being a mother. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it took time.

But he stuck with me. I remember sitting at his college graduation last spring - so proud - that I didn't cry. I did not dissolve into puddles. I controlled all those lumps and butterflies. Until of course he told me to check Facebook as soon as I arrived home. He would have photos of the day there. Of course, I did. I went straight to his page - and there he was - in his cap and gown with the title:"All Growed Up." And that's when I melted. And so he is - "all growed up." I wrote about it. Tomorrow we will celebrate that.

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And to end, I am the proud recipient of 10 wonderful ABC Italiano books and while some are earmaked for the Italian Cultural Center in Minneapolis and children's charities and preschools, three of them are for you: Fresh, Local and Best, Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice and Mocha Me. Please e-mail me your address and I shall get them out to you quickly. Thanks to Joe at Italyville.com for providing these charming books and to all of you. Most people develop a love of language and reading on someone's lap. It's the best way to learn.

A humble soup coupled with Italian ABC's giveaway and awards... oh my!

Sometimes when you are in the midst of something, you cannot write about it. Sometimes there are wishes that you previously thought unwishable. And sometimes, oftimes - the distractions in life are very important. I have a mish-mosh of distractions. A giveaway, a humble soup. Two awards. These are all things that make me smile. In the middle



As stated in an earlier post, Joe at Italyville posted a giveaway of this lovely ABC Italiano book by Sonya Caruso - designed to start toddlers on the journey to learning Italian. As someone struggling to learn the language in my rapidly advancing middle years, there's no time like the present to start. I am the lucky recipient of ten of these books (Joe reached his designated 50 comments, bravo Joe!). I will be giving some of the books to the Italian Cultural Institute in Minneapolis as well as to a few local children's charities. (And saving and treasuring one). I will also give three of them away (thanks to Ciao Ciao Linda for the generous idea). Simply comment on the blog and I will randomly select three names to be the recipients of this beautiful book. And please visit Joe - right now he has an olive oil giveaway. And he always has something heavenly cooking in his kitchen.
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My idea of comfort is soup. And a piece of chocolate. But it is the soup that soothes me and nourishes me. It's reassuring, it's warming and it's simple. Some lettuce and beans. Broth. An abundance of spring-like rosemary and just a tad of red pepper flakes to bring it all together.

Chickpea Soup with Rice and Escarole - adapted Tastes of Italia (serves 4)

3 tbl olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 tbl red pepper flakes

6-8 cups vegetable broth (can use chicken broth)

4 tbl fresh, chopped rosemary (it sings)

2 cans chickpeas

4 cups chopped escarole (can use cabbage, kale or chard)

On the side: 2 cups cooked brown rice

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In a stock pot heat your olive oil to hot but not sizzling. Saute the garlic, celery and red pepper flakes until the celery softens - about 3 minutes. Add the broth, rosemary and chickpeas. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes to let the flavors meld. Meanwhile cook your rice separately.

Remove 1/3-1/2 of the mixture. Let cool a bit and then put in the blender. Blend. I like thickening the soup this way - but I also love the chunks of chickpeas floating around - creamy surprises in every bite.

Add it back into the original pot. I am tempted to start serving this now. I can wrap myself around the pot.

Add your escarole. Along with the rosemary, it adds a welcome of the spring that is to come. Plus, I love it. Simple. And packed with flavor.

Watch it cook down. It only takes a minute.

Every thick spoonful brings the humblest bean and the sweetest lettuce. And somewhere in each taste, there is this delightful heat - not overpowering, just a presence of sparkling red pepper dancing. Beckoning.

Let everyone spoon their own rice into the bowls and then ladle the soup over. The rice will never turn mushy if kept separately. While the chickpeas give way to creaminess, the rice will add a touch of the chewy. Sprinkle (or in my case, "drown") freshly grated Parmesan over the soup. What can I say? I am a Parmesan fiend.
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While muddling in the middle, Claudia at What's Cookin Italian? sent me this. A huge smile. Her recipes are creative and Traditional. Innovative and down-home. Visit her and enjoy.

And the gracious Sophie at Sophie's Foodiefiles sent me this.

There's always some flavor-filled healthy cooking on her blog. I hope you also visit her.

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I would like to send these off into the world to evoke more smiles. If it's all right with Claudia and Sophie, I would like to do this differently. I am at a place right now where choosing is too hard. Actually, "choosing" has always been hard. That's how I wind up with 30 kids in my cast when I direct. Hard to say "no." Hard to say "just you two." It's why I write large-cast plays. If you are one of the first ten commenters, please take the "teddy bear" home to your site. And if you are commenter 11-20, please bring home the "honest scrap" award. Don't be shy - it is yours with my thanks for the visit. And all commenters will be eligible for the ABC's Italiano book.
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Now, I will finish my soup. Can I bring you some?

Simplicity: a frico and the abc's in Italiano

It's so simple really - I wonder about even mentioning it. A frico. One ingredient. A mound of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on a baking sheet. Bake. Eat. Is that a recipe?

But it is - scrumptious. Earthy, nutty. Packed with flavor - and one ingredient. After the excesses of the holidays, the starchy comfort during the frigid days in January and the weekend that was Valentine's Day, the Chinese New year, Mardi Gras down south and it's equivalent of Carnevale in Italy - simple.... one ingredient. A way of chasing the excesses away. Today Italian Catholics begin Lent. A 40-day feast of self-denial - and do you believe it - I've always loved it. It's a chasing away of winter and a cleansing of the palette for the spring greens that will arrive when Lent is over.

Fricos hail from the northern, mountainous region of Friuli Venezia Giula which borders Austria and Slovenia. One of it specialties is Montasio cheese. As a new cheese, it is creamy, milky and smooth. As it ages, it becomes saltier, earthier and similar to the king of Italian cheeses - Parmigiano-Reggiano. The Italian Parmesan is easier to come by than Montasio cheese, so that is the cheese I use for my fricos. You can jazz up a frico - add some fat (they do in Friuli Venezia Giula), or add some rosemary or other favorite herbs. Some people like them with potatoes, but I like the simplicity of the one ingredient.

A delicate, lacy Parmesan crisp - they add elegance to your salad of baby greens or stand alone with an aperitif before dinner (the Italians will have it with Vin Santo). The Parmesan should be freshly grated - it is lighter,and will spread into a lace-like pattern.

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Frico Ingredient

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - freshly grated

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Frico Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, spray or grease parchment paper cut to fit baking pan.
Ladle 2 tablespoons into a 1-2 inch biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter. Lift the cookie cutter and flatten the Parmesan. Repeat - spacing the mounds of Parmesan 3 inches apart.
Bake 5-8 minutes - until the cheese is lightly browned. Cool for one minute.
With a spatula, carefully lift the crisps from the pan onto a plate. Serve warm as an appetizer or put on top of a salad.

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Welcome to the season of simplicity. And as I wax poetical about the beauty of simplicity, please visit Joe of Italyville's blog. He has a delightful interview with Sonya Caruso, the author/illustrator of a new book that teaches the ABC's of Italian to toddlers. It's never to early to learn a new language. It's insightful and there's a giveaway of her new book ABC Italiano. As I struggle in Italian class, the idea of learning it from a toddler's point of view is enticing.

Simplicity: the key to learning and growing.