Name: Involtini di Manzo
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 8 thin slices beef topside or flank, about 700 g total; 80 g breadcrumbs; 80 g Pecorino Romano, grated; 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 40 g pine nuts; 40 g raisins, soaked and drained; 3 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp black pepper; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 150 ml red wine; 800 g tinned plum tomatoes, crushed; 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 6 basil leaves

Involtini di Manzo

Thin beef rolled around cheese, parsley and garlic, then braised in tomato until it can be cut with a spoon. Sicily and Campania both do a version.

1 hr 45 min total Serves 4 servings Medium

How to Make Involtini di Manzo

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Lay each slice of beef between two sheets of cling film and beat it to about 3 mm with a mallet or rolling pin.
Mix the breadcrumbs, pecorino, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, raisins, oil and pepper.
Spread the filling over each slice, leaving a clear border, then roll up from a short edge and secure with string or a cocktail stick.
Brown the rolls in the oil, seam side down first, 8 minutes in total. Lift them out.
Soften the onion in the same pan 8 minutes, add the wine and let it reduce by half.
Add the tomatoes, salt and basil, return the rolls, and bring to a bare simmer.
Cover and cook 1 hour 15 minutes, turning the rolls twice, until they are tender.
Remove the strings before serving, and spoon the sauce over.

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Small Things That Help

Beat the beef to 3 mm. Thick slices will not roll or cook evenly.
Seam side down first, and do not move them for the first 2 minutes.
The leftover sauce dresses pasta the next day.

Changing the Recipe

An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Suggestions

Soft polenta
Bread
Nero d'Avola

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad, Fave e Cicoria.

Storing & Reheating Involtini di Manzo

Refrigerated for 3 days. Reheat gently in the sauce.