Savory chicken rolls with ham and provolone cheese

For tonight, not your usual boring chicken dinner.

These chicken rolls with ham and cheese, saute' in white wine,  make a fun and delicious meal for your family

With a busy daily schedule it's useful to have some easy and quick dinner recipes, especially if they can be prepared ahead of time. So here is one for you to add to that list.
I made these chicken rolls with ham and cheese yesterday before picking up the kids from school. I knew what was coming up for me in the afternoon. In addition to the usual homework and violin practice, my kids had a basketball game, and a loooong baseball practice. Two different locations, obviously! Which meant A LOT of driving around in traffic. We made it home really late, all exhausted and really hungry. Luckily I planned ahead of time, so I only had to warm up the chicken rolls, dress the salad and voila', dinner was ready in no time!
My kids devoured these rolls in two minutes. Deliciously filled with ham and cheese, saute' in white wine and aromatic herbs. Savory, quick and homemade.


Ingredients: serving 4

• 8 thin slices chicken breast (total about 1.25 lb, 550 gr)
• 8 slices (4.5 oz, 130 gr) of ham
• 8 slices (6 oz, 185 gr) of provolone cheese
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• a few sage leaves
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) of white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken breast in 8 thin slices. Pound the  slices to make them thinner and more even. I use plastic wrap to cover the chicken, so that you don't get your kitchen counter all messy.

2. Place one slice of ham and one of cheese (cut it in half if necessary) over each slice of chicken.
Roll up starting from the smallest side, and secure with a toothpick.

3. In a large pan, saute' the crushed garlic clove, in a few tablespoons of oil, with the rosemary and the sage.

4. Add the chicken rolls. Cook over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Turn the rolls over and cook for another few minutes.

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5. Salt to taste. Add the white wine. Cover the pan and cook the chicken for another 20 minutes over medium heat.

Remove the toothpick, and if you like, cut in slices. Serve with your favorite veggies.

Buon Appetito!

Ham, Cheese and Mashed Potatoes Rolls

Indulge yourself with these savory, hearty, scrumptious rolls filled with ham, mashed potatoes and mozzarella cheese.

These rolls are simply exquisite! Great for a light family dinner served with a big green salad on the side. Or cut in slices, and they are a perfect pick-up food for your next party.
I first ate these a long time ago at my in-laws' house. That's where I first learned how to prepare this dish. But I never wrote down the recipe, made it many many times, and probably changed the recipe along the way. So this might not be how my mother-in-law makes it anymore, but today, and all for you, I finally measured and written down all the ingredients.
As you will see, this recipe is quite simple and quick. Cook and mash the potatoes, add the cheese, roll in ham, dip in batter and fry. I know ... I said  FRY. I, too, always try to avoid giving fried food to my family, but unfortunately there is no way around with this recipe. Believe me. I tried! I did try to bake these rolls and failed miserably. The problem is the batter. Unless it's cooked right away, it will droop down and off the rolls. And honestly, batter is really meant to be fried. That's when its flavor comes alive and brings the aroma of all the ingredients together. You can make the frying a little "healthier" though, by using fresh olive oil, and just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. And always make sure to remove as much  oil as you can from the rolls with a paper towel at the end.
Not so bad... actually, as I said already, simply exquisite! Enjoy!


Ingredients: to make 8 rolls                                  Printable Recipe

• 2 medium (around 14 oz, 450 gr) potatoes (I used russet) 
• 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
• 4 oz (100 gr) of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 slices (8 oz, 225 gr) of ham
• oil to fry (I used olive oil)
• salt

for the batter:

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup (125 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 fl oz (120 ml) of milk

Preparation time: about 50 minutes
Directions:
1. Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them in half and place them in a pot covered with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until fully cooked. Test with fork for readiness.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the batter: in a bowl add the egg, flour, salt, olive oil and half of the milk. Whisk well together so that there are no lumps. Add the rest of the milk a little bit at a time, until smooth.

3. Press the potatoes through a ricer when still hot into a large bowl. Add the cheese and the parsley. Mix quickly with a spoon just to combine the ingredients. Make sure to keep the mashed potatoes soft.

4. On each slice of ham, place about 2 tablespoons of the potato and cheese mixture. Roll the ham as shown in my picture.

5. Heat the frying oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. I used just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Carefully not to lose the filling, dip each roll in the batter, and place it right away in the pan. Fry all the rolls, turning them on each side. Remove most of the oil by placing the rolls on a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve hot! If you prepare the rolls ahead of time, warm them up in the oven until hot! Enjoy.

Vegetarian Eggplants Parmesan Rolls

Delicious grilled eggplant rolls filled with melted mozzarella cheese, 

served hot and bubbly with garlicky tomato sauce

Today I prepared another variation of the traditional Italian Melanzane alla Parmigiana. These eggplant Parmesan rolls are perfect for a special and inviting appetizer, or also for a light vegetarian dinner, maybe next to a few slices of toasted bread. The deliciously Mediterranean flavor of this dish is similar to the eggplant Parmesan, but the look is different. The eggplants are thinly sliced and grilled (not fried!), and rolled around lots of melted mozzarella cheese. The rolls are served hot and bubbly with a garlicky tomato sauce, and complemented with the bold aroma of the oregano. Here is the recipe!

Ingredients: to make about 15 rolls (based on the size of the eggplant) - appetizer for about 4 people

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
• 1.5 cups of crushed tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• some fresh basil leaves
• oregano
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Cut the eggplant in thin slices lengthwise - to obtain the largest  possible slices. I got 15 slices. In one (or two to make it faster) large grilling pan, grill the eggplants over medium-high heat. I like to brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Step 2: In a saucepan, saute' the crushed garlic cloves with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt to taste and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the basil in the last couple of minutes.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Over each eggplant slice place about 1 tablespoon of shredded mozzarella. Roll the slice and place in an oven pan, seam side down.

Step 4: Sprinkle with oregano, the Parmesan cheese and a little bit of olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese are melted and bubbly.

Serve warm with the tomato sauce. Buon Appetito!