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This Veal Rollatini stuffed with Roasted Peppers, Menorca Cheese and Basil, simmered in a luscious Tomato, Olive Sauce and topped with even more Menorca cheese, is as decadent as it sounds. You’ll find that these flavors blend together in a sort of beautiful dance…I’m not joking. This dish is totally indulgent. You can serve it with your favorite pasta or just simply an Italian bread to soak up all of the deliciousness of the sauce. I suspect that you too will be left speechless, if only for a moment.
This is a sponsored post by Mahon Menorca Cheese.
This is my third and final submission for the Menorca Cheese Bloggers Challange. This dish is submitted for their Main dishes category. If you’re interested in seeing my other submissions, here’s a link to my appetizer submission: Pizzette with Garlic Shrimp and Roasted Peppers Pesto, and my side dish submission: Cheesy Pasta Bakes in Individual Ramekins.
This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy HERE.
I received cheese samples from the brand and I may be compensated if I win the challenge.
Veal Rollatini, Or Involtini, for a Fancy Dinner In
‘Involtini’ is an Italian word for a small bite-sized bundle of food. Frankly, I’m not sure if ‘rollatini’ is even a real word, but through colloquy I believe it’s garnered its status as an actual word. Personally, I also think that it describes the dish a bit better. Accordingly, I decided to name this dish Veal Rollatini.
Hopefully, this naming convention won’t offend any of you ‘Involtini’ purists; but in the event it does, then feel free to substitute the name (either way, I guarantee it won’t affect your enjoyment of the dish).
But I digress… This veal dish is super delicious! It has so many layers of flavors and textures that I can’t pay it justice here. You’ll just need to try it. By using veal, as opposed to the chicken, you immediately elevate your dinner right there. Veal is a great substitute and cooks as quickly as chicken.
And then you stuff it with roasted peppers, basil leaf, and out-of-this-world delicious Cured Menorca Cheese. Then you roll them up and simmer in a tomato sauce that is finished with burst cherry tomatoes with garlic and Kalamata olives.
And that’s not it… Then you add a Semi-Cured Menorca Cheese on top and broil it to golden perfection. I mean, what else I need to say?
This the fifth recipe that I’ve made incorporating Mahon-Menorca cheese and every single one came out absolutely outstanding (obviously there’s a reason I keep coming back, right?). This cheese is so versatile that it worked with my Pinwheels with Serrano Ham and Fig Jam and with this Cheesy Sauce on top of the perfectly cooked Ribeye Steak as well as in my three new recipes.
Ingredients Needed to Make Veal Rollatini
Without further ado, let’s get to this recipe. Here’s a list of the ingredients you may need to gather from your Grocery store. Scroll down for the list of stores when you can buy Menorca Cheese. (FYI, a full recipe with exact ingredients, measurements, & nutritional information can be found at the bottom of this post).
- Thin Veal Cutlets;
- Cured and Semi-Cured Mahon-Menorca Cheese;
- Roasted Peppers;
- Basil;
- Chopped Tomatoes;
- Cherry Tomatoes;
- Kalamata Olives;
- Onions;
- Garlic;
- Dry Oregano;
- Wondra Flour (Or All-Purpose Flour);
- Salt and Pepper;
- Sugar;
- Cooking oil (like light Olive Oil or Canola Oil for frying the cutlets);
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to use for cherry tomatoes with garlic and olives;
- Cooking twine or toothpicks for keeping rollatini together.
Easy Steps to make Veal Rollatini
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients, you can start cooking. I’ll show you the steps how to make this beautiful veal rollatini.
Step 1: Shred both of your Menorca Cheeses. Pound your veal cutlets on both sides and season them with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Assemble your rollatini by placing a basil leaf on the top of the cutlet, then adding a slice or two of roasted pepper and topping it with shredded, cured Menorca cheese.
Step 3: Start rolling your rollatini and either skewering them with a toothpick to keep them together or use kitchen twine to wrap them around (I used the latter as I think the twine holds them better).
Step 4: Dust your veal cutlets with Wondra flour on each side and heat up the cooking oil. Brown the cutlets in an ovenproof skillet (like a cast iron pan) on each side for about 5 minutes in total. Then take them out and set aside. Let them cool slightly and then remove the twine (at this point they will hold really well without the twine and you want to avoid doing it once they are submerged in the sauce).
Step 5: To the same skillet, add onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Then add garlic and oregano and cook for one more minute. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper; cover and let cook for 10 minutes.
Step 6: In the meantime, heat up extra virgin olive oil in a separate skillet. Add cut up cherry tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, until they slightly burst. Then add garlic and olives and cook for another minute. Set aside.
Step 7: After the sauce has cooked for about 10 minutes, add the veal back into the pan and cover and cook for another 10 minutes until the veal is cooked through. You can rotate them a few times during this process (Note: some of the cheese from the rollatini may come out but it will stay in the sauce so no worries).
Step 8: Once your veal is cooked through, top with the tomato and olive sauce and sprinkle shredded cured Menorca cheese on top of each rollatini. Heat up your broiler and place the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
Step 9: Remove from the oven, sprinkle with more basil and serve with either your favorite pasta or fresh bread and a side of Green Salad. Enjoy!
Equipment Needed To Make Veal Rollatini
- Cutting Board;
- Set of Knives;
- Meat Tenderizer;
- Cast Iron Skillet;
- Frying Pan;
- Cheese Shredder;
- Kitchen Twine.
Menorca Cheeses
Now, let’s talk about the cheese. Mahon-Menorca Cheese is a product with a Protected Guarantee of Origin (“PGO”). That means that this is a product which is very closely related to the geographic area in which it’s produced – the island of Menorca.
Depending on its degree of maturity, the PGO covers the following types of cheeses:
- TENDER. Soft and creamy. Yellowish/white in color, with very little developed crust. Its taste is milky with slight undertones of butter. It’s aged for 21-60 days.
- SEMI-CURED. Characteristic and unmistakable. The crust of this cheese is orange, and the cheese is firm yet easy to cut, showing irregular holes throughout. Its milky in taste and the flavor is more developed, with reminiscences of toasted nuts and dried fruit. It’s aged for 2-5 months.
- CURED. A delicacy for cheese connoisseurs. Its texture is firm and hard. It’s less creamy and in advanced stages of maturity – it breaks, flaking upon being cut. It has a very developed flavor and aroma, with a complex and intense taste. This cheese is aged more than 5 months.
There is also a new one, a Traditional Style cheese made with Raw Milk that’s aged for 6 months. It’s also very complex and intense.
Mahon-Menorca Cheese is easily found throughout the U.S.
All these cheeses can be easily found throughout the US in your local Whole Foods. Other stores include:
- Fairway,
- West Side Market,
- Gourmet Garage,
- Saveway,
- Murray’s,
- Kroger,
- Costco,
- Central Markets,
- Central,
- Town & Country Markets in Seattle, and
- All the best grocery specialty stores across the county.
Veal Rollatini with Roasted Peppers, Basil and Cheese in Tomato Olive Sauce
Ingredients
Veal Rollatini
- 8 Veal cutlets thin slices
- 1/2 cup Cured Mahon Menorca Cheese up to 1 cup depending on how much you can place on each cutlet
- 1/2 cup Semi-Cured Mahon Menorca Cheese up to 1 cup if you want more cheese on top of the meat
- 1/2 cup Roasted Red Peppers cut in slices
- 12 Basil leaves 1 for each cutlet and remaining to sprinkle on finished dish
- 1/3 cup Wondra flour to cover the veal cutlets
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil to brown the cutlets
Tomato Sauce
- 1 Sweet Onion small to medium size, finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic chopped
- 2 cans Crushed Tomatoes 14 oz each or one large 28 oz. can
- 1/2 teaspoon Dry Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt up to 1 teaspoon to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
Tomato Olive Topping
- 2 cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes cut in half
- 1/3 cup Kalamata Olives cut in half
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shred both of your Menorca Cheeses. Pound your veal cutlets on both sides and season them with salt and pepper.
- Assemble your rollatini by placing a basil leaf on the top of the cutlet, then adding a slice or two of roasted pepper and topping it with about a tablespoon of shredded, cured Menorca cheese.
- Start rolling your rollatini and either skewering them with a toothpick to keep them together or use kitchen twine to wrap them around.
- Dust your veal cutlets with Wondra flour on each side and heat up the cooking oil. Brown the cutlets in an ovenproof skillet (like a cast iron pan) on each side for about 5 minutes in total. Then take them out and set aside. Let them cool slightly and then remove the twine (at this point they will hold really well without the twine and you want to avoid doing it once they are submerged in the sauce).
- To the same skillet, add onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Then add 2 chopped garlic cloves and oregano and cook for one more minute. Add crushed tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; cover and let cook for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat up extra virgin olive oil in a separate skillet. Add cut up cherry tomatoes and cook for a minute or two, until they slightly burst. Then add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and cut up olives and cook for another minute. Set aside.
- After the tomato sauce has cooked for about 10 minutes, add the veal back into the pan and cover and cook for another 10 minutes until the veal is cooked through. You can rotate them a few times during this process (Note: some of the cheese from the rollatini may come out but it will stay in the sauce so no worries).
- Once your veal is cooked through, check for seasoning and adjust to your taste, add burst cherry tomatoes with olives and sprinkle shredded cured Menorca cheese on top of each rollatini. Heat up your broiler and place the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with more basil and serve with either your favorite pasta or fresh bread. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Sponsored by Mahon Menorca Cheese. Follow Mahon Menorca on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
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This looks and sounds amazing, definitely a meal I would really enjoy. I will have to put a few items on my shopping list.
Thanks Heidy!
We tried this last night and it was a hit with everyone! Definitely making again soon!
Oh my Gosh! You just made my day Jessica! Thanks so much 🙂
That tomato olive sauce sounds crazy good and packed with flavor. I can see using that in so many different dishes. New Year’s Goals!
Thank you Karen! You’re right, this sauce can be used in many different dishes 🙂
Wow, this sounds so fancy and flavorful! I love all the different flavors you have going on in this dish. Perfect for a special meal at home!
Thanks Elizabeth!
Great step by step instructions. Thank you for sharing, Edyta. I was always a bit hesitant to cook veal rollatini. But with your help and great pics this seems to be doable. My hubby will be thrilled when I surprise him soon with this delicious dish.
Fantastic! I hope you will like it!
Can i precook veal Ann later in day add to sauce for dinner party
You can try but there is a chance that the meat might get a little dry.