Involtini di Vitello
Serves four
Involtini = roll
8 slices (80–90 g each) veal tenderloin
8 thin stalks asparagus
4 slices mortadella sausage or cold ham
100 g flavourful and easy-to-melt cheese
½ dl flour seasoned with salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
glass of dry Marsala wine (or dry white wine)
Peel the asparagus stalks and cut off the bottoms. Boil in lightly salted water for 3 minutes. Reserve some of the water. You can also use canned green asparagus.
Place the veal escalopes between plastic wrap and pound them into large, thin, longish ovals. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cut the mortadella slices in half and the cheese into thick slices. Cover each escalope with a slice of mortadella and cheese. Place a stalk of asparagus, cut into half, on top and roll the escalopes into tight rolls. Tie the rolls and bread them in the seasoned flour. Heat some of the butter with olive oil. Fry the rolls slowly until they have turned a nice colour. Turn the rolls often. Place them in an oven dish and roast at 150°C for about 45 minutes until the meat is soft and tender.
Pour the wine into a saucepan, add a few spoonfuls of asparagus cooking broth and the rest of the butter. Simmer and scrape the bottom of the saucepan to include all the good flavours. When the sauce has simmered down and turned dark, sieve it on top of the veal rolls. As a side dish, you could serve a mixed salad or an asparagus risotto.