Pronounced “Bre-zah-o-lah.

What is Bresaola??..I hear you say…

Well, you are onto a good thing if your local deli has bresaola in stock, even better if it is Italian bresaola.

Popular in Northern Italy, bresaola is a cured beef. It is usually served thinly sliced with black pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of olive oil. You may also see it topped with shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano, and rocket leaves.

We first came into contact with Bresaola on our travels to northern Italy back in 2006. A cousin from Torino (Turin) made an amazing antipasto platter, including these wonderful Bresaola involtini. We tweaked the recipe a little, and did a trial run with a group of Italians who are well acquainted with good antipasto. Our recipe combines Bresaola, rolled with a light cheese filling and served with a sweet, salty, textured and spicy rocket salad.

As for my Italian guinea pigs….let’s just say, after they ate every last morsel … they took the recipe with them!

Using a good quality balsamic will guarantee the right level of sweetness for this recipe. We have used a raspberry infused balsamic, but you can use whatever you have in the pantry.

What you will need:

150 grams thinly sliced Bresaola (cured beef)

140 grams cream cheese

2 tbs firm Ricotta

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/4 cup Raspberry infused Balsamic Vinegar

2 large dried figs sliced

4-5 cups Rocket leaves

Shaved Parmesan cheese (use as much as you like)

1/4 cup raw walnuts

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Preparation:

Finely slice the figs and place them into a small bowl. Add the Balsamic vinegar and allow to steep.

In a mixer, add the cream cheese and ricotta with a crack of pepper. Mix until the cheese is well blended.

Lay a few slices of besaola and place half a teaspoon on the mixture in the middle and roll.

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Place the Bresaola stuffed rolls onto a plate.

Place the rocket alongside the bresaola rolls (not on top of the bresaola as it will soak up too much of the dressing). Top with shaved Parmesan cheese, walnuts, and figs. Drizzle a little of the dressing onto the bresaola, and pour the remaining balsamic vinegar onto the rocket. Finish with a crack of salt and pepper, squeeze of fresh lemon and a light drizzle of olive oil.

Serve.