SICILIAN MEAT ROLLS

Spitini

 

SICILIAN MEAT ROLLS

Spitini

 

History

Among the most popular second courses in Sicily, associated with holidays and conviviality, there are meat rolls in many local variations. In Palermo and its province they are known as spitini, in Messina as braciole and in Catania as sasizzeddi.

Beyond the different stuffing, the names represent different aspects of the recipe. If spitini, in fact, indicates the skewer in which the rolls are placed before cooking, braciole suggests the char-grilled cooking and sasizzeddi the characteristic cylindrical shape. Spitini, slices of veal stuffed with onion, breadcrumbs, passolina (raisin) and pine nuts, caciocavallo and parsley, are made at home or can be bought at the butchers, standing out in the shop window among the most tempting preparations. In each skewer there are three or four rolls, separated by alternating a bay leaf and a slice of onion, which in cooking, especially grilled, will give off their intense aromas. These rolls are a poor dish born from the need to enhance and optimize the ingredients: thin slices of meat stuffed with different cheap ingredients. Although there are similar preparations in the noble tradition, these differ in quality of the meat and richness of the stuffing. The conza (stuffing) of the most popular recipe is that of popular origin, characterized by the presence of passolina and pine nuts, ingredients used to enhance food on holidays. Today the spitini, always present in the grilled meat, are served as street food, on a plate or in a sandwich.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

  • 12 veal slices
  • 150g breadcrumbs
  • 100g caciocavallo cheese
  • 1/2 onion
  • 30g raisin
  • 30g pine nuts
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil
  • parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • bay leaves

Soak the raisins for 10 minutes. In the meantime, finely chop the onion and brown in a pan with a little olive oil. Once ready, pour the onion into a bowl, add breadcrumbs, raisin, pine nuts, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Mix the mixture with olive oil until it is compact. Put a little stuffing and the diced caciocavallo on each slice of meat, then roll making sure it is well closed. Cut the outer part of the red onion into quarters. To assemble the skewer alternate each roll with a bay leaf and a quarter of onion. Spitini are ready to be grilled or cooked in a pan with a little oil.