INVOLTINI AND SALADS

This is my latest experiment from the Cotto e Mangiato book.  I can't give you the exact, copyright recipe but I can tell you that the spiedini are made up of veal involtini [rolls] filled with a mixture of minced cacciatore sausage, provolone cheese and pangrattato [fine breadcrumbs] plus bay leaves and onion slices.  You are supposed to cut the meat into triangles measuring 10 cm on each side but I found that too small to be fiddling with.  Then you are supposed to form neat, triangular parcels which I didn't quite manage. Anyway, all's well that tastes well and these had a nice, barbecuey flavour.

Cotto e Mangiato is a short cookery slot on  the Italia 1 lunchtime news programme and you can find many of the recipes on youtube.  I recently purchased the recipe book, which is excellent.

I served these involtini with my "green rice salad":

To serve a multitude, cook 500 gr [1 lb] of salad or risotto rice.  Drain it and rinse it in cold water.  Put the rice in a serving dish.  Peel, deseed and chop a cucumber into small chunks, then sprinkle with fine seasalt.  Leave for about half an hour.  Cook about 300 gr [10.5 oz] of fresh or frozen peas.  I used some asparagus tips this time, just because I found some, but you don't have to.  Cook these until tender - I sacrilegiously cooked them with the peas.  Chop one or two green peppers very finely and chop some fresh basil.  Now rinse and drain the cucumber and add it, with the other vegetables and basil, to the rice.  Season and add about 6 tablesp olive oil.  Mix well and chill until serving time.

Buon appetito.