Man food

If you read my blog much, you may remember that, occasionally, Justin surprises me by cooking dinner. If you don't believe such a thing could occur, please refer to this post.
Sunday night, the man did it again! It wasn't so much a surprise this time, since he told me what he wanted to cook; but who cares? I love cooking, but being cooked for by a handsome man is even better!


We went to Borders going-out-of-business sale on Friday night. I scored a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 2 (60% off!!) and Justin bought this (very manly)book.

Good Meat: the complete guide to sourcing and cooking sustainable meat.

It is a really cool book, I must say. And the recipes in it are incredible. He chose to make "Involtini" for us.

I've never had involtini, but upon googling, I discovered that they are basically any thin strip of meat or veggie rolled up with cheese, herbs, and other yummies. In this case, thinly sliced beef top round with pesto, parmigiano-reggiano, and pancetta. After you roll them up tightly, they take an hour-long bubbly wine bath. Heavenly.



I made some parmesan polenta to serve them with...delish! He did good, didn't he?!




Here is the recipe:

Involtini
Good Meat: the complete guide to sourcing and cooking sustainable meat
by James Beard and Deborah Krasner

1-2 pounds semifrozen grass-fed beef top round or bottom round
1 cup mixed chopped fresh parsley and basil leaves
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
As many thin slices of parmigiano- reggiano as there are beef strips
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
As many thin slices of pancetta as there are beef strips
1 teaspon unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine

Slice the semifrozen beef as thinly as possible, lay out on a sheet of waxed paper to thaw. Sandwich defrosted meat between two pieces of plastic wrap and place on a wooden cutting board. Pound out to 1/8 inch thickness.
Make a paste of the basil and parsley, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and 1 tablespooon of olive oil in a food processor.
To assemble: lay out beef strip, spread with 1/4 inch of herb paste, then a slice of pancetta, then cheese. Roll firmly and tie with kitchen twine.
Dredge each roll in flour. Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large pan with a lid. (big enough to hold all rolls in one layer). Brown the rolls on all sides over medium-high heat (5-8 min). Add the wine, reduce to low heat and cover. Cook 45 min, adding water if necessary until beef is tender. Remove the twine and serve with pan sauce.