Prosciutto Cotto is really just a rather high quality baked ham. It does not start out as prosciutto crudo which is a cured aged raw ham. It starts out as a partly cured fresh ham.
My family grew up making a similar recipe. In our household they were called "spedini" which simply means skewered meat. My father, being of Sicilian heritage and Mother, Sardinian, had their own recipe which was :fresh veal cutlets, seasoned breadcrumbs enhanced with fresh garlic, olive oil and parmigiano reggiano cheese mixed with an egg to bind. The meat was then flattened, layered with the breadcrumb mixture, rolled up and skewered with alternating slices of onion, bay leaf and fresh mozzarella cheese. Then slathered with olive oil, baked in the oven and consumed by very happy family members. I just made them as an appetizer for Thanksgiving.
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GIULIANO BUGIALLI HAS A RECIPE THAT IS LOVELY FOR CHRISTMAS. TURKEY SCALLOPS WRAPPED AROUND ITALIAN SAUSAGE, TIED AND SAUTEED WITH HERBS, GARLIC, OLIVE OIL, WHITE WINE, THEN BRAISED WITH MINCED TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVES. I SERVE IT OVER SOFT POLENTA.
IT IS AN ADAPTATION OF AN OLD RECIPE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY MADE WITH PEACOCK.
There is no humanely raised veal. Keep that in mind.
Yes, there is.
Thank you for this article. I would like to point out that the term “braciole” is not only used in Sicily but in other parts of Italy as well. I should know, I was born in Bari in Apuglia and came to United States as a toddler. It was the centerpiece of our Sunday meal and interestingly enough made by the men in the family.
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This article is lovely reminder of my childhood. My mother use to make this dish on a regular basis. She has since moved back to Italy, it's a wonderful place to retire. She now cooks for a large group of elderly friends on a regular basis. If only I could get my culinary trained husband to cook this for me. The very thought brings me back to a simpler time.
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I know "prosciutto cotto" just means cooked ham, but is prosciutto cotto something special to be purchased at the grocery or can we just substitute American sliced ham?
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@ Pajaritomt is a trusted commenter New Mexico
Godd Grief, never substitute any American ham for the Italian prosciutto and, particularly, for Prosciutto di Parma. As a substitute for American ham I tried in vain to find ham made of wild boar. But even in the ham-producing center of Cadiz, Ky., they did not have it.
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As far as I know, "prosciutto cotto" is simply prosciutto di Parma that has been cooked. American sliced ham tastes nothing like prosciutto di Parma, whether cooked or uncooked.
This is a most welcomed article. Whenever I'm in Italy, I always scan a menu for an involtini. I love them any which way. The one I make is chicken rolled around a ground mixture of Italian sausage, pinenuts, fresh herbs, and cheese.
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This recipe is very close to how my Mom and I made what she called "spedini," but we held the pieces together with toothpicks. We also made braciole, which we put into the tomato sauce. My family is Sicilian-American, but I never heard the word involtini. Today, I don't buy veal (animal cruelty concerns), and I buy braciole ready-made from an Italian specialty store. We also made fresh pasta. I can't even imagine the time those meals took to prepare, and we did it almost every Sunday. Those were the days!
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An interesting piece about what are involtini and how to make them. On the 2nd photo, I think I would have preferred the flattened veal grilled or fried without the filling of ham-and-cheese.
The idea of involtini brings to mind other recipes of something wrapped around something else: e.g., Russian golubtsy, cabbage leaves wrapped around ground beef.
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Which is like Swedish Kaldomar.
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