Rolling Veal Escalopes
Escalopes are lean pieces of veal cut at an angle from the leg fillet; the large, even slices require a light pounding before being coated and pan-fried. When rolled around a filling they are called paupiettes in French, saltimbocca in Italian. The same techniques can be applied to beef fillet and topside.
1. Lightly pound the escalope on a board between two pieces of baking parchment. Remove the paper and cut the escalope crosswise in half.
2. Place the filling of your choice on the meat, then roll the meat up around it and secure with a wooden cocktail stick. The meat is now ready for pan-frying.
STUFFINGS FOR VEAL ESCALOPES
Choose stuffings that are moist and provide a contrast in flavour and texture to the meat.
• For saltimbocco, roll the veal around Parma ham and fresh sage leaves.
• Spread veal with a mixture of ricotta cheese and chopped spinach moistened with a little cream, sprinkle over a few toasted pine nuts and roll up.
• Mix strips of roasted peppers with fresh breadcrumbs and shredded basil leaves.
• Combine minced veal with raisins, chopped chestnuts and chopped fresh herbs.
• Mix together equal quantities of cream cheese and crème fraîche and flavour with a few capers and grated lemon zest.
