Involtini with Pine Nuts, Raisins and Parmesan!

Here's what I do when I want to impress, but don't feel like creating a huge mess in my kitchen.
I make involtini's , these are basically meat rolls filled with a stuffing. One can also use aubergines for a vegetarian version.
This recipe is made with pork schnitzels, because it's still kind of cold outside and it gives you this warm, homey, winterly feeling that we all long for every now and then!
I serve my involtini's with mashed potatoes, but a homemade tomato sauce or a big pan of pasta would also be a great combination.
Make your life easier and prepare them ahead of time, so you just have to heat them up when your guests arrive...

Viva Italia once more!


Ingredients:

4 pieces of schnitzel (pork or chicken)
4 to 6 slices of parma ham
50 gr. grated parmesan cheese
50 gr. black raisins
50 gr. pine nuts
2 tblsp. chopped parsley
1 glass white wine
2 tblsp. olive oil
1 tblsp. butter
kitchen rope
salt, pepper
bit of water

Start with making the filling.
Put the raisins, the parmesan cheese, the pine nuts and the parsley in a little bowl and stir so the ingredients get a good mix.
Put one piece of meat flat on your working board and cover it with a slice of parma ham.
Then add about 2 to three tablespoons of the filling on one side of the meat.
Roll up the meat and now your involtini is ready.
Tie up the involtini with kitchen rope, so it will stay in place during the cooking process .
Continue with the other 4 pieces of meat and then heat up the olive oil together with the butter in a large frying pan.
As soon as the oil/butter mixture is really hot you add the involtini's to the pan.
Saute them for about 5 minutes, making sure that all sides of the meat get a really nice golden crust !
Then you lower the heat and you add the wine and some water to the pan.
Leave the involtini's for another 15 minutes on a low heat to cook through and then you're ready to serve.

With love !