This rolled stuffed veal is a Bologna classic. It is not everyday family food, but a special and spectacular dish for Sundays and holidays, for dinner parties or for the Christmas meal. And yet it is not complicated to make or to cook, as you’ll see reading on.
Ingredients
500 grams (just over a pound) in a flat piece of lean veal or young beef
300 grams (10 and a half ounces) thinly sliced Mortadella di Bologna
300 grams fresh uncooked spinach
1 or 2 eggs
40 grams (one and a half ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
20 grams butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
nutmeg to grate
salt & pepper
Preparation
1. Place the washed spinach leaves in a deep pot with just the water clinging to the leaves, season with salt and steam the vegetable in its own water on low heat for about 5 minutes. Turn leaves over and stir occasionally as water is released and the spinach starts to wilt and soften. Drain and squeeze hard to eliminate any remaining moisture.
2. Place in a processor with one of the eggs, the Parmigiano-Reggiano and a quarter of the Mortadella plus very little salt and pepper. Whizz to a fine puree. Add a yolk, or the whole of the second egg *only* if the mixture seems very dry. Season generously with nutmeg.
3. Place the piece of veal on a working surface, and gently pound it flat and wide as possible using the bottom of your clenched fist. Line with the sliced Mortadella. The fat in this will help to baste the lean veal and to keep it tender.
4. Spread the spinach/Mortadella evenly over leaving a wide margin all round. Careful not to put too much on, be prepared to leave some aside rather than over stuffing the roll.
5. Roll up the meat in the direction of the grain so that later you will slice across it. Roll pretty tightly. Tie it in several places with kitchen string about 1 cm apart – again tie tightly because the meat will shrink when you brown it.
6. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil with the butter in a deep pan and brown the roll on all sides over moderate heat, about 10 minutes. Add a little stock or water, then cover and leave to simmer about 30 / 35 minutes. During the cooking time turn the roll over occasionally and add stock as needed so it does not dry out but has a little sauce at the end – the “intingolo”.
7. When cooked, leave to rest 10 minutes, then remove the string and slice along the grooves where the string was..
8. Serve the veal pot roast with simply cooked tomatoes or carrots or squash – in other words a vegetable that is not green as you already have one in the filling.
9. Variation: You can replace the spinach layer with a layer of Frittata, either plain or else a wilted onion or mushroom Frittata.
Credit: Foodista