When I was writing up our most recent meal plan, I realised that all the Italian recipes I’ve posted so far have been of the “primo piatto” type: a first course of pasta, risotto, gnocchi or soup. These types of dishes are what Italian cuisine is famous for, but there is way, way more to it than that. Since moving here we’ve tried many very good “secondo piatto” of meat or fish too.
My issue with secondi is that I’m not used to eating a lump of protein essentially on its own. You can order a side dish of veg, but then you end up with so. much. food. After having already stuffed yourself with pasta. After after having already eaten a plate of antipasti.
Mr P&P doesn’t seem to have this issue.
Aaaaanyway, I do like Italian meat and fish dishes, so to make them more acceptable to my meat-and-two-veg-programmed brain I served these involtini with potatoes and skipped the primo.
My issue with secondi is that I’m not used to eating a lump of protein essentially on its own. You can order a side dish of veg, but then you end up with so. much. food. After having already stuffed yourself with pasta. After after having already eaten a plate of antipasti.
Mr P&P doesn’t seem to have this issue.
Aaaaanyway, I do like Italian meat and fish dishes, so to make them more acceptable to my meat-and-two-veg-programmed brain I served these involtini with potatoes and skipped the primo.
Serves: 4
Pots/pans to be washed up afterwards: 2
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20-25 mins
Ingredients:
8 squares of baking paper or foil, cut about 3cm larger than the cabbage leaves all around
8 large cabbage leaves
4 chicken breasts
100 g of melty cheese, such as pecorino, provolone, gruyere, emmentaler or medium cheddar
olive oil
black pepper
sea salt
Preheat the oven to 200° C (180° C fan oven or Gas Mark 6).
Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, then lay out on a clean kitchen towel to dry. Cut the tough stem out of the middle.
Cut the cheese into matchsticks.
Pots/pans to be washed up afterwards: 2
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20-25 mins
Ingredients:
8 squares of baking paper or foil, cut about 3cm larger than the cabbage leaves all around
8 large cabbage leaves
4 chicken breasts
100 g of melty cheese, such as pecorino, provolone, gruyere, emmentaler or medium cheddar
olive oil
black pepper
sea salt
Preheat the oven to 200° C (180° C fan oven or Gas Mark 6).
Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, then lay out on a clean kitchen towel to dry. Cut the tough stem out of the middle.
Cut the cheese into matchsticks.
If necessary, slice the chicken breasts across so that they are no more than 1cm thick. Cover with cling film and pound with a meat tenderiser (or the back end of a garlic press if you don’t have one…).
Lay one cabbage leaf on a piece of baking paper/foil, then put a piece of chicken breast in the middle, and some cheese sticks in the middle of that. Season with a little salt and pepper (leave out the salt if serving to babies/toddlers).
Lay one cabbage leaf on a piece of baking paper/foil, then put a piece of chicken breast in the middle, and some cheese sticks in the middle of that. Season with a little salt and pepper (leave out the salt if serving to babies/toddlers).
Roll the cabbage leaf up tightly, then wrap it up in the paper/foil. Repeat with all eight leaves, then pop them in an oven dish and bake for about 20 minutes (if using baking paper) to 25 minutes (if using foil).
Serve with a carb of your choice, or sliced up and held together with toothpicks as a great little hors d’oeuvre
(I actually tried to serve them to my toddler like this in the hope he hold it by the toothpick and take a bite, cabbage and all. He did not.).
Serve with a carb of your choice, or sliced up and held together with toothpicks as a great little hors d’oeuvre
(I actually tried to serve them to my toddler like this in the hope he hold it by the toothpick and take a bite, cabbage and all. He did not.).
