Rollatini are a popular dish in Italy. They can be made with chicken, veal, or pork, and the stuffing can be just about anything you like, but do include cheese. The delight of rollatini is the oozing cheese when you cut into them. So, whatever you do, do not skimp on the cheese. This dish was very popular on the menus of Italian American restaurants in the sixties and seventies. Fontina has great melting qualities; when it is not readily available, Muenster cheese is often substituted.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for pot

　　12 medium asparagus spears

　　1 cup chicken stock (see page 40)

　　1/4 cup dried porcini

　　2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed

　　2 plum tomatoes, seeded and sliced into thin strips

　　8 ounces Italian fontina, cut into thin strips

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　All-purpose flour, for dredging the pork

　　6 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　8 fresh sage leaves

　　1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced (button, cremini, shiitake, chanterelles, etc.)

　　1 cup dry white wine

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Slip in the asparagus, and blanch until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Run the asparagus under cold water and pat dry. Bring the chicken stock to simmer in a small pot, then add the dried porcini and remove from heat. Let soak.

　　

Step 2

Slice the pork crosswise into twelve slices. Pound the pork slices to an even 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet. Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lay the pork on your work surface, and evenly divide the tomato strips on top, lining them along the longer side of the pork slice. Put an asparagus spear on each slice, and cut to fit on the meat. Divide the fontina evenly among the pork slices, and sprinkle with the parsley. Roll up the pork snugly around the asparagus, tomato, and cheese, tucking the ends in, to enclose the filling. Close each roll with a toothpick or two.

　　

Step 3

Drain the porcini from the broth, reserving the soaking liquid, and coarsely chop. Spread the flour on a rimmed plate. Dredge the pork rolls in the flour, tapping off the excess. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the pork rolls and brown on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the browned rolls to a plate.

　　

Step 4

Toss the sage leaves into the Dutch oven. When the sage is sizzling, add the sliced fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté until the mushrooms are browned and softened, about 6 minutes. Pour the white wine into the Dutch oven with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil, and let the wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes; then pour in the porcini soaking liquid. Bake the pork, uncovered, until cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes. If the pork is cooked but the sauce is too thin, remove the pork to a plate and reduce the sauce on the stovetop. Remove toothpicks before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.