I met Francesco and his daughter, Benedetta, in the market at Siracusa.
Benedetta spoke to me first as, in halting Italian, I stumbled my way through choosing some ricotta. Her English was practically non-existent but that didn’t deter our conversation, much less hinder its flow. It’s quite interesting how much sense I can convey with a tiny bit of language and an enormous bit of mime. Pure theatre, really. Anway, we got to talking about Sicilian food.
I was invited to lunch, il pranzo, the next day with them, to savour one of the finest dishes that Sicily has to offer. Mind you, this was a heavier meal than I’d expected for a lunch date.
This taste sensation was Farsumagru, a stuffed roll of veal (or beef), a much celebrated and very popular Sicilian dish. There are variations in the stuffing and on the way of cooking it, it depends on the province or even the neighbourhood.
I scribbled some notes and tips from Benedetta and it was the first (almost) Sicilian meal I made when I stepped off the plane.
If you want to cook this famous meat roll, it’s not for a quick and easy cook-up. You need time and a lot of affection to create farsumagru.
There’s a recipe in Sicilian Food: Recipes from Italy’s Abundant Isle – also available formatted for Kindle from Mary Taylor Simeti. There’s also a recipe at Sicily Scene : A Welshwoman’s Life in Sicily, a delightful read at any time, not just for the recipes.
You need a flat piece of veal, so beat it to size with a meat mallet between two sheets of plastic wrap. You want a thickness of about ¼ of an inch. But here’s my way with farsumagru.
P.S – A Note from Calabria
My friend, Susan Scalise, says that pork, not veal, is used in Calabria and I may go for that next time.
Ingredients
- 900g slice of veal (approx 8x12 inches)
- 4 TBLsp olive oil
- 225g medium onion, chopped
- 225g finely chopped veal
- 225g Italian sausage meat
- 1 hard boiled egg cut in quarters
- 225g sliced pancetta
- 1 finely minced clove of garlic
- ½ cup flaked parmesan or diced Provoletta cheese
- ¼ cup of your preferred grated cheese
- ¼ cup currants or raisins soaked in warm water
- ½ cup Italian parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Butcher’s twine to tie the rolled meat
- The leftover oil and fat from cooking the stuffing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 cup white wine
- 225g tomato paste diluted in 8 cups of water
- Basil leaves
Method
- In a large saute pan over a medium flame, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the onions and saute for about 7 minutes until golden
- Add the finely chopped veal and sausage meat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously
- Remove the meat. The oil and fat left in the pan will be used to saute the stuffed meat roll
- Roll out the widest side of the veal. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste
- Place the sliced pancetta to cover the meat and add flaked parmesan cheese
- Lengthwise, spread the meat filling mostly in the centre and place egg quarters on top, then sprinkle on the grated cheese, breadcrumbs and the parsley
- Roll the veal in the shape of a large salami and tie it with the butcher twine, gently winding it around and lengthwise. Run the twine twice around, making sure it's not too tight
- To cook the roll, use the saute pan where the stuffing was made. Use the remaining fat from cooking the stuffing along with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and over a medium flame saute the rolled veal
- When it's lightly browned on all sides, add chopped onion and keep the roll in the pan until the onions are lightly golden
- Add the wine. Add diluted tomato paste, basil, salt and pepper, bring to a boil and then simmer for one hour
- Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove twine and slice
