Involtini Messicani: A recipe for Valentine's Day. If you and your significant other happen to be hungry and like polenta, Livio Cerrini di Castegnate suggests these involtini, which he rather whimsically calls Messicani in his A Tavola Per Amare.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- Freshly made, piping hot polenta (make it while you're making the involtini; see below link if need be)
- Slices of veal or veal scaloppini; figure about 4 ounces (100 g) per person
- Nutmeg
- Freshly ground pepper
- Thinly sliced pancetta to lay over the veal
- Long wooden skewers
- Sage
- 1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- 2 6-inch (15 cm) sprigs rosemary
- Dry white wine
- A ladle of meat broth
Preparation:
Put the slices of veal between two sheets of waxed paper and pound them with the flat of a wide-bladed knife to thin them, being careful not to puncture them; you'll want them to be about 2 1/2 inches wide and 4 long (6 X 10 cm).Dust the slices with pepper and a hint of nutmeg, then lay the sliced pancetta over them. Roll the slices up to make the involtini, and stick them with pairs of skewers, sticking two-three involtini over each pair of skewers.
Heat the butter and the rosemary in a skillet, and when they begin to crackle add the involtini and brown them over a brisk flame, turning them several times. When they have browned spinkle them with dry white wine; once it has evaporated sprinkle the broth over the involtini, reduce the flame to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, watching them to make sure they don't stick.
When 15 minutes are up add a little more broth and increase the flame while scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any stuck-on bits, and when the juices have concentrated some lay the involtini over a bed of polenta, spoon the juices over all, and serve.
Mr. Cerini di Castegnate says they're equally good over a bed of risotto alla Milanese, or a bed of home-made mashed potatoes, and adds that he likes them the next day, cold, as well, especially if gently reheated over the coals at a picnic.
