Platter chatter
Born to a big American family of southern Italian lineage, Stacy Adimando learned nothing of moderation as a cook and hostess. Holiday feasts always began with a signature vegetable, meat, and cheese spread: mounds of marinated eggplant, piles of pickles, stacks of greasy salami, plus roasted peppers, cheese and bread.
Adimando learned to make antipasti from her family and many trips to Italy and she says, to her, antipasti means a hearty, overly generous compilation of colourful, textural, help-yourself platters.
Her book Piatti has been inspired by Italy’s big, bountiful antipasti. Adimando has used the food of her upbringing as a jumping-off point for creating dishes and combinations that work for modern cooks.
Following is one of her recipes:
NANNY’S VEAL BRACIOLINI
I was a bit hesitant to share this recipe
— it’s that good, and that special to our family. It was passed down to us from one of our Italian great-grandmothers, who we called Nanny, and eventually taught to us by our 100-year-old great-uncle, Joe. Everyone who tasted these little meat bundles deemed them one of Nanny’s best dishes — tiny roll-ups of tender veal pounded as thin as possible, then filled with provolone, herbs, and bread crumbs and griddled on her special griddle. She cooked them one at a time, and they would disappear instantly to one of the many family members huddled around her cook station. This is one of the recipes that makes me most grateful for my Italian family experiences.
In defence of veal, it’s a far more sustainable meat choice than beef, and there are some wonderful, responsible farmers raising it today. In this recipe, where the meat is only lightly seared and not braised at all, there really is no substitute. Be careful not to tear the veal while pounding, and don’t be tempted to overfill the delicate braciolini. My only other advice: volunteer to do the dishes so you can scrape the bits of toasted cheese off the bottom of the pan.
■ 2 Tbsp plain dried bread crumbs
■ 1 Tbsp finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
■ 11⁄2 tsp finely chopped garlic
■ 11⁄2 tsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
■ 2 Tbsp plus 11⁄2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
■ 12oz (340g) boneless veal cutlets, about 2 large or 4 small cutlets
■ 11⁄2 oz (40g) provolone cheese, cut into thin slices, then broken into pieces
■ 4 very thin slices prosciutto, cut into strips
■ Salt
■ Freshly ground black pepper
■ 4 fresh sage leaves
■ 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, cut into 1 to
2in (2.5 to 5cm) pieces
■ Lemon wedges, for serving (optional) MAKES 14 TO 16
Method
In a small bowl, add the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
Pound the cutlets to about in (2mm) thick, or as thin as possible without tearing the meat. Trim the pounded cutlets into pieces about 21⁄2 in (6cm) long and 3in (7.5cm) wide. You should have between 14 and 16 pieces.
Working with one piece at a time, spread out a piece of veal on your cutting board. Place one or a few very small, narrow pieces of provolone vertically down the centre (it should only cover an area slightly smaller than the centre of the meat itself).
Top the cheese with a small strip of prosciutto (less is more when filling the braciolini; don’t get carried away).
Top with a small amount of the bread crumb mixture [about tsp], spreading the crumbs in a vertical line atop the prosciutto and cheese.
Fold one of the parallel edges of the veal over the filling and continue to roll tightly until the filling is completely covered and the veal has been wrapped into a neat cylindrical bundle. (The filling should not be hanging out the open ends of the veal bundle; adjust if needed.)
Repeat with the remaining veal pieces, leaving a little of the bread crumb mixture behind at the end. Lightly season the veal rolls with salt, then generously season with pepper.
Take out three long wooden skewers. Working one at a time, thread a braciolini crosswise onto each skewer (alternatively, use plain wooden toothpicks if you don’t have skewers).
Follow with a whole sage leaf or 1 to
2in (2.5 to 5cm) branch of rosemary. Add another braciolini to keep the herb in position. Repeat until you have four to six pieces of braciolini on each skewer (you don’t have to place an herb between each one). Spread the reserved bread crumb mixture all over the outsides of the meat pieces, patting to adhere.
Heat a large cast-iron or other heavybottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 Tbsp plus 11⁄2 tsp of olive oil. Once hot, carefully add the skewers (break off 1 to 2in (2.5 to cm) of wood at the end of any skewers that don’t fit in the pan).
Cook on the first side until well seared, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the skewers and continue cooking until no pink remains on the veal and both sides are well seared, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Remove and serve immediately, squeezed with a little lemon, if desired.
How to Pound Meat
While not difficult, this does take some finessing. Here’s how I do it:
1. If the cutlets are large, trim them into more manageable pieces — no wider than the width of three or four fingers and no longer than your hand.
2. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat, stable surface. One at a time, add 1 cutlet to the centre of the plastic and cover with a second large piece of plastic wrap.
3. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or something flat with a decently wide surface area (like the bottom of a heavy liquid measuring cup), begin pounding the meat, starting near the centre and pulling outward gently and slightly as you pound to help the meat spread thinner and wider on all sides.
Repeat until the meat is a uniform thickness, being careful not to tear the flesh.