Authentic Sicilian Involtini: Stuffed Meat Rolls with Savory Filling

For the best results your meat will need to be just half a centimetre in thickness. If you can’t get escalopes then fillets will do, but you will need to ‘beat’ them to the required thickness. Do this by placing the fillets, one at a time, into a freezer bag then bash the meat gently with a rolling pin until the desired thickness is achieved. Cut and trim the meat into rectangles of about 4 by 10 cm.

For the stuffing: Add the bread-crumbs, grated cheese, pine nuts, raisins, chopped parsley and the chilli flakes to a large bowl. In a separate bowl beat together the minced garlic, olive oil and egg. Stir this into the seasoned bread-crumbs to form a dry but homogenous mass. Spread a thin quantity of the stuffing onto each slice of meat and roll them up tightly, sticking a couple of toothpicks lightly through the top to secure.

To roast: Place the involtini into a roasting dish, together with some large slices of onion, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Put into a hot oven at 190°C and cook for about 15 minutes, remove from the heat and drizzle over the wine. Cook for another 10 minutes until nicely browned. Remove the toothpicks and serve the involti with Sicilian style roast potatoes and a mixed salad. Recipe for potatoes coming soon.