Making Do

As had become our habit, about 10:30 we stopped for a cappuccino. We did this each morning while we were in Italy.

Ten-thirty was a good time to stop. We’d usually been in the car for an hour and a half by then, and the break provided a pleasing point of routine special to that trip.

The cafes were all alike, not with the mindless, robotic sameness of a fast-food franchise, but alike with a common purpose and function that had evolved over years to meet the needs and desires of countless Italians wanting a quick cup of coffee and perhaps a pastry or a bit of ham on a roll. The space was usually small, perhaps 3 by 15 meters. There was always a bar stretching along one wall and dominated by the huge, ornate coffee machine. There were a few tables, often metal, each with two or three chairs.

But the cafes are alike the way people are alike — and distinctly different the way people are different. There are large noses and small noses, wood-topped bars and marble-topped bars, blond hair and red hair, brass machines and copper machines, short and tall people, long and wide bars.

After the cappuccino we’d continue to the museum or tomb or whatever we had planned to visit that day. Eventually we’d head back to our villa late in the afternoon to fix dinner. Sometimes we’d happen upon a farmers’ market during the day and would buy a few things for supper. Sometimes we’d stop at a supermarcato.

On this day we arrived back at the villa with some cheese, greens for a salad, and some chicken breasts. The groceries were deposited in the tiny kitchen and we sat down to have a cocktail before I started dinner.

Drink finished, I rummaged around to see what I could make of what we had. There was some prosciutto left over from lunch, a bit of fresh sausage, some eggs, a bag of porcini (somewhat the worse for wear), and the chicken breasts. Hmmm…

I got my Swiss army knife out of my suitcase (it was the only knife in the place capable of cutting anything) and boned and skinned the breasts, which I then pounded flat with a can of tomatoes. While I prepped the chicken, I stripped the casing from the sausage, quickly cooked it, and dumped it in a bowl along with some of the cheese (cut into tiny pieces) and some fresh parsley.

I spread a bit of the sausage mixture on each breast, rolled it up, wrapped it in prosciutto, and pinned the rolls with toothpicks (again, from my suitcase). We only had enough bread in the house for breakfast, so I smashed some crackers as a coating. Then I dipped the roulades in flour, egg, and cracker crumbs, browned them in the skillet, and then into the oven to bake.

Meanwhile, garlic, diced onion, and a bit of oil went into the pan. Once the onion was translucent I tossed in the mushrooms and some oregano that was growing by door. I cooked down the mushrooms and added white wine and reduced it, followed by some heavy cream.

The roulades were wonderfully crunchy with the cracker crumb coating and the prosciutto, cooked just below the coating, provided a mouth-watering richness. The mushroom sauce could have been better, but was good enough.

These days I use a tomato cream sauce when I make them and I’ll post that recipe tomorrow.

Chicken/Sausage Roulades

6 ea boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 lb Italian sausage – cooked and finely chopped
1/3 c shredded Fontina, Provolone, or Manchego cheese
1/4 c finely chopped parsley
12 slices Prosciutto — sliced slightly thicker than usual
salt and pepper
1/2 c flour
1 c cracker crumbs (I prefer Carr’s Water Biscuits, but panko crumbs work too)
2 ea eggs
3 tbsp olive oil

Place a chicken breast between two moistened sheets of plastic wrap, skin-side down. Using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet or sauce pan, pound breast until about 1/4” thick. Repeat for each breast.

In a small bowl, mix together sausage, pecorino, and parsley.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, spread a thin layer of sausage mixture on each breast leaving a 1/2” border. Roll up breast enclosing the stuffing. Wrap each breast in a couple of pieces of Prosciutto, sealing ends. Pin each roll with two or three toothpicks.

Beat the egg in a small pie pan. Dip each roulade in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, coating thoroughly. Wrap roulades snugly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375F.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in two batches of three, brown roulades on all sides.

Arrange roulades on a baking sheet and place in center of oven. Bake 30 minutes or until they register 144F on an instant read thermometer. Allow to rest for five minutes and then slice and serve. Serves 6.

As you can see in the photo, I garnish the dish with grapes. They provide succulent little bursts of tart sweetness that contrast delightfully with the chicken and sauce.

Technorati: Food | recipe | main dish | poultry | chicken | italian

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