L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I consider myself privi- leged, as in my family w e h a d t h e b e s t o f two worlds in terms of food. I was born a n d r a i s e d i n U m b r i a , a region famous for superb quality ingredients such as olive oil, truffle, fabulous p r o s c i u t t o a n d s a l a m i , pecorino and great wines like the Sagrantino. My mother was born and raised in Sicily, moved to Umbria for work, met a local guy - my father - and ended up spending her whole life a w a y f r o m t h e Mediterranean except for summer holidays. Our food could be defined as ante lit- teram "fusion." My mother's special talent was to infuse the intensity of Sicilian fla- vors with the simple bold- ness of the Umbrian ingre- dients. Some of her dishes became legendary among family and friends. She was named Eufrasia, a Greek name meaning "joyful" which was perfectly fitting to her bubbly character and beauti- ful smile. T h i s i s o n e o f h e r b e s t recipes which is derived from t h e t r a d i t i o n a l b r a c i o l e f r o m M e s s i n a , E u f r a s i a ' s hometown. We were so fond of these rolls that she always had a few portions in the freezer ready to give us as a treat when we returned from If you don't eat pork, beef c a r p a c c i o m e a t i s a g o o d alternative. You can substi- tute the Parmesan with aged provolone but make sure to regulate the salt in the stuff- ing accordingly. Ingredients (serves 6) For the rolls: 450 g (1 lb) very thinly sliced pork loin 2 c u p s s e a s o n e d b r e a d crumbs (see below) 150 g (1/3 lb) thinly sliced guanciale or pancetta bay leaves, same number as the slices of pork extra virgin olive oil For the seasoned bread crumbs: 2 c u p s ( 3 0 0 g ) b r e a d crumbs (or GF substitute) 3 t a b l e s p o o n s g r a t e d Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon salt 2-3 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped a sprinkle of black pepper and salt Preheat the oven at 220 °C (425 °F). Ask your butcher to slice the pork as thinly as possible without it breaking apart. Mix all ingredients for the seasoned bread crumbs then a d d a f e w t a b l e s p o o n s o f olive oil to the crumbs until t h e y l o o k m o i s t b u t n o t greasy. Lay the slices of meat over flat surface and place one slice of guanciale over one slice of meat. Distribute the our travels. The traditional Sicilian recipe was made with beef and cheeses like caciocavallo or provolone. Here I use our w o n d e r f u l U m b r i a n p o r k loin, and local guanciale, cured pork cheek. If you can- n o t f i n d g u a n c i a l e , u s e pancetta or unsmoked bacon. bread mixture evenly over the meat and firmly roll up each slice. Skewer 4-6 rolls on two p a r a l l e l c o c k t a i l s k e w e r s alternating the meat rolls and bay leaves, so that the rolls a r e s a n d w i c h e d b e t w e e n leaves. Transfer the rolls onto a l i g h t l y o i l e d n o n - s t i c k roasting tin. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning half- way through. Remove the r o l l s f r o m t h e o v e n , t h e n cover with foil until you are ready to serve them. T h e s e i n v o l t i n i a r e extremely flavorsome so no sauce is needed. However, they greatly profit of a side of crispy greens like, for exam- ple, a young lettuce salad dressed with olive oil and a dash of lemon juice. L e t i z i a M a t t i a c c i i s a cookbook author and owner of Alla Madonna del Piatto C o o k i n g S c h o o l a n d A g r i t u r i s m o i n A s s i s i , U m b r i a , h t t p s : / / i n c a m - pagna.com. This recipe has been previously published in M r s . M a t t i a c c i c o o k b o o k entitled "A Kitchen with a View." LETIZIA MATTIACCI The delicious mamma Eufrasia's pork rolls (Photo: Letizia Mattiacci) A family recipe: mamma Eufrasia's pork rolls LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES

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