FALSOMAGRO

When I think of Sunday lunches as a child, I think of this dish.  I guess you could say this was our family’s equivalent of a Sunday roast.  My mum would often prepare this when we had friends over and it has always been one of my all time favourite meat dishes.  When I moved to Australia I had to get used to many things (and I still am… I guess it is a never ending process)… among all these adjustments I had to “rediscover” the different cuts of meat.  It may sound strange to you, but many of the cuts of meat that are so common in Italy do not exist in Australia.  Why?  I don’t know.  I guess it is all based on what people traditionally eat.  Obviously, the contrary is true as well and you can find cuts of meat here that are unknown in Italy.  Anyhow… at the beginning I was quite overwhelmed and I used to buy some of the meat we regularly eat in the Italian area, where butchers know how to cut a beef schnitzel to make cotolette (which HAS to be thin and not the 1.5 cm – 0.6 inches steak you find at the local supermarket).  But slowly I also began to experiment and discover I could substitute some of the traditional cuts with others I had never used, obtaining great results.  This dish is an example of these discoveries.  For 5 years I had not made it, thinking it was impossible to find the right meat… until I saw flank steak (which I do not recall ever seeing in Italy).  Then it struck me that it could easily be flattened and rolled.  I tried it and I was soooo happy with the results that I actually think flank steak is better than the original cut for this dish.  The meat is so soft and juicy and it keeps the filling nicely tight inside.  This is a traditional Sicilian recipe (so this will be the Regional Italian recipe for this week), and it can be made in a few different ways.  If you google it, you will see that many people also put boiled eggs in the filling.  I think they look very pretty, but I do not like boiled eggs… so I never put them in mine.  The recipe I am going to share with you today is my family’s and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  We finally have our Sunday meal back! 🙂

Ingredients:
1 kg – 2.2 lbs. flank steak
4 sage leaves, ½ tbsp rosemary leaves, 2 bay leaves
2 tbsp exta virgin olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I use sunflower)
80 ml – 2.7 oz. white wine
¼ tsp salt
150 ml – 5 oz. beef stock
1 onion

For the filling
150 gms – 5.3 oz. bread crumbs
4 tbsp Pecorino Romano, thinly grated
100 gms – 3.5 oz. salami, sliced
5 tbsp exta virgin olive oil
130 gms – 4.5 oz. provolone, sliced
¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp onion, chopped

Start by preparing the flank steak.  You need to flatten it until it gets to 1.5 cm – 0.6 inches of thickness.  To do so, you need to butterfly the flank steak using a sharp knife.  Do this very carefully, trying not to tear the meat (or cut your hands!).  Then, flatten it some more, using a meat mallet.

Now you can prepare the filling.  Mix the chopped onions, breadcrumbs, salt and extra virgin olive oil in a bowl.  Put the flank steak on a sheet of baking paper and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture all over the meat.  Add the salami and provolone slices and sprinkle the thinly grated Pecorino Romano over the top.

Roll the flank steak tight with the help of the baking paper, tucking the sides in. Then, using some butchers’ string, tie the roll by knotting the string tightly at one end and wrapping it tightly all around the meat.  Make a knot at the other end to secure the string.

Put some vegetable oil in a frying pan and let it heat.  When hot, put in the falsomagro and fry it on all sides. In the meantime, prepare a pot with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, sage, bay leaves, rosemary leaves and 1 peeled onion.

Let it heat on a low flame and after 2 minutes add the seared falsomagro.  Pour the white wine on it and, after the alcohol has burnt off, add the salt and stock.

Cover and let it cook on a slow fire for about 1 and a half hour.  Add some more stock if required during cooking.  When cooked, let it cool down and then cut it in thick slices (around 1.5 cm – 0.6 inches).