Recipe: Frittata Roast Roll (Rotolo con la Frittata)

FRITTATA ROAST ROLL (ROTOLO CON LA FRITTATA)

"D: This is one of your grandmother's specialties, right, Gabriele?

G: I can see myself now, being happily sent on my bicycle to her house to pick it up. Other times, we'd see her walking up the path and I couldn't help it, I'd have to go run out and meet her.

D: I know why. It's not only delicious, but beautiful. When you slice it after it's done, you get this beautiful spiral of color: wine-darkened beef, yellow frittata, and green of the spinach.

G: It's not a complicated recipe, but it requires time to do everything: pounding the beef, making the frittatas, rolling, stringing, and cooking. But the end result is well worth the effort!"



3 large beef cutlets (flank steak)
Kosher salt
1 bunch spinach
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 cup red wine

Place the beef cutlets between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, or in a plastic bag, and pound them for 30 seconds, making sure not to punch holes in the cutlets.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and rinse the spinach under cold water, then squeeze it dry, finely chop, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Whisk until evenly mixed. Add the cooked spinach and whisk.

In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter until melted. Pour in one-third of the egg batter, cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges of the frittata brown slightly and the top is firm and not runny. Transfer the frittata to a plate to cool. Repeat this step until you have 3 small frittatas.

Place a beef cutlet on a cutting board and top with a frittata. Roll the 2 together and secure with twine, making sure not to tighten too much, otherwise the twine will break through the beef, or push the frittata out of the roll. Repeat with the remaining beef and frittatas.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary over medium-high heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rosemary crisps and the garlic starts browning. Add the rolls, searing the meat evenly all over by rolling them in the pan for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the wine and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the scent of alcohol disappears. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meat looks lightly caramelized on the outside, the rolls are firm, and no juices leak from the rolls when a finger is pressed into them.

Transfer the rolls to a cutting board to rest for up to 5 minutes. Thinly slice and serve with a drizzle of the pan juices.

Makes 4-6 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Extra Virgin: Recipes & Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen by Gabriele Corcos, Debi Mazar