Veal Roll in the Style of Naples: Rotolo di Vitello

Ingredients

• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano leaves
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 pound veal breast, in one piece, pounded thin by your butcher
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound canned whole peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand, with their juices
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Slice the hard-boiled eggs into rounds. In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg slices, spinach, parsley, oregano, garlic, raisins and pine nuts. Stir until well combined and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Lay the veal breast flat on a clean work surface and cover with some of the egg mixture. Starting from the horizontal end nearest you, begin rolling the veal breast over the filling, rolling fairly tightly much as you would a burrito. Using kitchen twine, secure the veal roll.

In a 12 to 14-inch saucepan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame until hot but not smoking. Brown the meat and remove from the pan. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until the onion begins to soften and turn a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until the wine evaporates. Add the tomatoes and the veal, then season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer gently for 1 hour. If necessary to keep the pan moist, add some water during the simmering process.

Remove the cooked veal roll from the pan, remove the twine and cut into equally sized slices. Serve immediately, topped with a generous spoonful of the pan sauce.