Cooking with Anna: Involtini e Melenzane
So we are going to go back in time a little with this post. I hope you all don’t mind the time warp this blog sometimes is! It is hard sometimes figuring out when to post what! The life of a food blogger is all about organization…and sometimes the lack thereof.
Anyway, as you all know, the week before our wedding, Anna, Roberto’s mom came to stay with us. She is a food blogger and member of The Foodie Blogroll!
Her blog AnnaGarau.com features recipes from her native Sardinia. It is a great blog, full of wonderful anecdotes about Sardinia as well as beautiful pictures and she is quite the chef. It is in Italian, so if you want to check it out, and I recommend that you do, use one of those handy dandy translators like this translator from Google. You can even watch a video of traditional Sardinian dancing and singing – something Sardinians are known for. When she was here at our house, she was updating that post and we were having such a good time. I was really pleased to be able to have a “private” lesson with this great Italian cook in my own kitchen when she was here visiting us from Rome.
When I ask Roberto about his favorite foods that he remembers his mom making, the first thing out of his mouth is always Involtini or stuffed, rolled beef. However, he is always vague about exactly what her involtini are stuffed with. Out of desperation, once, I made these “involtini” stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese.
They were delicious, but not involtini. So I was thrilled when Anna was here that she was delighted to show me how to make her involtini. She also made these fabulous eggplant patties that were very tasty. I am certainly making both of these again…in fact in honor of writing this post we are having leftover involtini tonight (The day I post this, may not be the day I wrote this…you know how the time warp is…)
π
It was very interesting going to the grocery store with Anna to get the ingredients. Many things that she is used to cooking with, just doesn’t exist here, or are not easily found, like pancetta (bacon that is not smoked) and butchers for that matter who can slice the meat super thin for involtini. So we had to be inventive. We got the thinest slices of beef we could find and we had to settle for bacon.
INVOLTINI
The first thing she did was chop a large handful of fresh herbs – parsley and basil. She mixed it with finely chopped onions, a minced clove of garlic and salt and pepper. There might have been a little bit of olive oil too… then she put a bit of this mixture, a thin slice of carrot and a thin slice of high quality parmesan cheese (thankfully we do have that!) onto each piece of meat and rolled the meat up, securing it with toothpicks.
Then she heated some olive oil and a little bit of butter in my cast iron skillet, placed a few sage leaves and then seared the involtini on all sides, cooking for about 10 minutes in a covered pan. Then she added a large drinking glass of white wine and another of water to cover the involtini and then cooked everything, uncovered, over a medium high heat until it reduced down into a “creamy” sauce, turning the involtini every few minutes to ensure even cooking.
The sauce isn’t really what I would call creamy, but it is a little frothy, especially with the cheese inside the involtini melting out and mixing with the wine. Anna says she always cooks beef with white wine, as it makes the reductions creamier and gives the meat a lighter taste and she just likes it better that way! We ate these involtini with my Pap’s Potatoes and Swiss Chard.
Yum!
Then she also made a favorite of mine, meatless meatballs, made from eggplant. They were so good, I wish we still had some in the freezer…
EGGPLANT PATTIES
Anyway, for this dish, she baked a whole eggplant in the oven at 400 F for about 40 minutes. Then after it cooled down a bit, she removed most of the seeds and put the eggplant pulp in the food processor. She added 2 eggs, some breadcrumbs, a large handful of fresh parsley, salt and pepper (there are no exact amounts here guys, just a occhio, to the eye) to the eggplant and processed it all together until it was well mixed, although still a bit chunky. Then she formed them into balls and dredged them in more breadcrumbs, smooshed them into patties, then placed them in the cast iron skillet with hot oil and pan fried them until they were crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside. They were soooo good. It made about a dozen.
She also made these lovely Sardinian pastries – it was cheese, soft cheese without flavor (we used havarti since the cheese she usually gets was unavailable), mixed with saffron and stuffed into a thin dough, kind of like phyllo, although the dough we made was a bit thicker. These pastries were then fried in a skillet in olive oil and served with a drizzle of honey. I wish we had pictures of this, but we did a video instead. They were great, froze well and made wonderful breakfasts when we got back from the honeymoon.
All I can say was that in this busy week leading up to the wedding, it was wonderful to be an on-looker and let someone else do the cooking. It was especially nice that it was Roberto’s mom. It was a great time for mother and son to bond in the kitchen and for both of us to learn some new dishes from La Cocina di Anna.
So I will just say Grazie, Anna! Bacione!
Peter G - June 4, 2008 at 11:44 am
Aaah! Involtini! I knew there was a trick there somewhere…great recipes Jenn, particularly the eggplant fritters. I can’t believe you can’t get pancetta where you are. Btw, Anna looks like a great person to be watching in the kitchen.
Judy - June 4, 2008 at 12:03 pm
How cool for you to be able to get THE cooking lesson! In my husbands family all of the wives had to take a week of lessons with Grandmama (T.’s Sicilian grandmother) I didn’t have a week but she came and stayed with us for a week and taught me a ton of things. This was really special for me as she passed away the year after. I am so glad that we were able to share some time in the kitchen!
Peter - June 4, 2008 at 12:15 pm
It’s cooks like Anna who are the “master chefs”! The involtini look succulent and I love the eggplant patties idea.
courtney - June 4, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Oh that looks delicious.It reminds me of Certain Someones moms rouldae( beef rolls).
Deborah - June 4, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Delicious!! I love learning about different recipes and cooking techniques from my mother and my mother-in-law. They are fountains of knowledge!
Georgia - June 4, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Wow Jenn, these look amazing, I think I will make some this week…perfect for a rainy day in PA. Thats awesome that you guys cook together. I have a bread baking lesson scheduled with my “mother in law” later this summer…I will be doing the teaching though π
Keep an eye out for puppy watch 08, she is growing fast!
Bellini Valli - June 4, 2008 at 3:26 pm
All excelelnt recipes Jenn. So glad you all have time to spend in the kitchen together:D
kellypea - June 4, 2008 at 4:29 pm
What a cute mom! And I love the way you wrote this — as she makes it. It looks truly tasty and is something I’d like to try. YUM!
Marie - June 4, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Jenn, Looks like you had a great time in the kitchen with your cute MIL, her recipes look delicious! I’ll go and check out her blog.
Cris - June 4, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Che bello involtini! It must be so good to have an italian momma to cook for you! Hey Jenn, I’ve been away and I wasn’t even able to take part on last month’s joust, no stove in the house, we moved! π
Brittany - June 4, 2008 at 10:22 pm
That must have been the coolest experience ever. I was excited, and I was only reading about it!
marye - June 4, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Mmmm….that looks fantastic. Especially the eggplant…I have a weakness for eggplant.
Sue - June 5, 2008 at 12:41 am
That is so great that she shows you all that great stuff. She looks really sweet and that Sardinian dancing on her blog WAS cool. Thank you for transcribing those recipes. I’m going to keep them handy.
Sabrina&Luca - June 5, 2008 at 3:02 am
Wonderful recipe!!!! I’ like to make it, just need some ingredients I miss, but I have to go to the supermarket so your involtini will be my and my husband dinner! I’ve seen lots of delicious things into your blog so I’d like to ask you if I could link your blog into our preferred ones! Thanks and have a nice day!
Sabrina&Luca
Emiline - June 5, 2008 at 3:04 am
Now you can make involtini all of the time! It looks great.
I love eggplant, also.
nΓΒΊria - June 5, 2008 at 4:10 am
Oh Gosh!!! Jenn, could you send Roberto’s mother to my house on her way to Sardenya? What delicious dishes she prepared… I love them allΓ’β’Β₯. Specially involtini and the one with the eggplant. I’m rushing to her blog :D.
Thanks for sharing such great recipes darling!
kat - June 5, 2008 at 4:17 am
both dishes sound delicious!
Suzana - June 5, 2008 at 6:58 am
Wow, that’s a cooking lesson! And what a lovely post from you, Jenn. Thanks for sharing Anna’s blog with us!
nina - June 5, 2008 at 6:58 am
Getting on with a MIL is already an accomplishment for most wives, but when you can cook together, is so such a fantastic bonding experience. By the way, I have a great MIL. The meal looks fabulous.
Angela - June 5, 2008 at 7:35 am
I’m so glad you got back around to this posting! What a treat to read about Roberto’s mom, see her amazing blog, and be introduced to her recipes. The involtini looks amazing. Thanks, Jen!
Angela - June 5, 2008 at 7:44 am
Oops! The editor speaking… I just posted my comment but realized I left the second ‘n’ off your name. Sorry!
Tracy - June 5, 2008 at 7:57 am
Another inspiring blog. It always gets my creative juices flowing. Thanks for this great recipe.
Helen - June 5, 2008 at 9:13 am
Wow! Those eggplant (aubergine!) fritters sound really interesting! I must try those and it’s great to know that the recipe is authentic.
Prudy - June 5, 2008 at 9:23 am
My Italian grandparents are from Calabria and Sicily, too. (Just read your “about” page.) The eggplant patties look divine!
The Leftover Queen - June 5, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Thanks everyone for all your kind comments! I am really lucky to have such a wonderful Mother in Law. I was always thanking her while she was here – without her, there would be no Roberto, so I am indebted to her. Spending time with her was wonderful! I hope she makes an annual trip here. I could learn so much!
I loved ready everyone’s comments about their experiences with their MILs. π
jen of a2eatwrite - June 5, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I’m not huge on meat, but oh, did those eggplant patties catch my eye! YUM!
I will definitely check out Anna’s blog. It sounds lovely.
I had the world’s best MIL. Very sadly, she’s now suffering from stage 6 Alzheimer’s. She was a brilliant, witty woman with a huge heart and great tolerance. I miss her terribly, but still feel so lucky to have known her. I *still* have the world’s best FIL! π I’ve been extremely lucky that way.
Kat - June 5, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Oh how luck are you. That Involtini looks to die for. We’ll be trying it for sure!
farida - June 5, 2008 at 7:01 pm
What a great post! Anna’s blog looks wonderful. If only I could speak and read Italian:) Eggplant patties look so delicious! I can’t have enough of eggplant – it’s my fav veggie of all:)
Kevin - June 5, 2008 at 8:23 pm
That involtini sure does look tasty!
Elly - June 5, 2008 at 11:14 pm
This looks so amazing, Jenn. And what a great cooking lesson you got! Thanks for pointing me to yet another blog I need to check out from the blogroll π
Kelly Mahoney - June 5, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Yum! Looks like a mighty meal.
Ley - June 6, 2008 at 8:29 am
Ooh, Dustin would LOVE that involtini! I’ll have to try that for him sometime. And WOW- Roberto’s mama is gorgeous!!
Taste Memory Girl - June 6, 2008 at 8:58 am
she looks like the sweetest lady ~ what a blessing to have mother in the famille that’s a food lover too!
I love eggplant anything – looks enticing simmering in the skillet like that…..
MyKitchenInHalfCups - June 6, 2008 at 11:49 am
Grazie, Anna! Bacione and Jann!
That is a wonderful time warp and just the way I love to cook. Love the eggplant!
Sounds like a wonderful new friend your mother-in-law!
Heather - June 6, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I would love to try those eggplant fritters. Thanks for sharing that one!
Ivonne - June 8, 2008 at 10:24 am
Jenn! What a thrill to have Anna there to show you her native dishes. I’m not all that familiar with the food of Sardegna but I want to learn!!! Thanks for sharing this … and all the best with the wedding!
Windy - June 9, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Wow! Lovely home cooked meal, wish I was there. Now I need to find a butcher who is willing to slice the meat super thin…
Johanna - June 9, 2008 at 10:45 pm
this is a really interesting post about people’s family cooking history – and very informative for me – I live in my own little vegetarian world and have made eggplant involtinis but didn’t realise that there were meat versions – probably the original too!
Aggie - June 9, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Love this post….I come from an Italian family and have learned so much from watching my nonna and nonno in the kitchen!
The Leftover Queen - June 10, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Thanks everyone for all your nice comments. Anna is really pleased that some of you have or are going to try out her recipes and visit her blog. She really is a sweet woman and I feel fortunate to have her in my family, now! π