Recipes

Messina-style chops


Messina-style chops

Messina-style chops refer to meat rolls filled with bread, cheese and herbs. Here's how to prepare them with the original recipe.

If you have never heard of Messina-style chops, let's start by telling you that they are not the classic bone-in steaks that you probably imagined. In this magnificent island (as in other areas of southern Italy) this term refers to slices of meat which can be beef, veal or pork , cooked in the most disparate ways.

In the Sicilian way, braciole (or cutlets) are stuffed with a breading-like filling to which a pride of the island must be added: spicy provolone . Threaded neatly onto skewers , these rolls require a short pan cooking before being served. With their flavor I mean and their stringy heart they cannot leave you indifferent!

Slices of meat

Ingredients

For the Messina-style chops

  • Veal slices – 16
  • Spicy provolone – 100 g
  • Sicilian pecorino – 50 g
  • Breadcrumbs – 150 g
  • Extra virgin olive oil – to taste
  • Garlic – 1 clove
  • Parsley – 1 sprig
  • Fine salt – to taste
  • Pepper – to taste

Preparation

How to prepare the Messina style chops recipe

1

First prepare the breading that you will need for both the inside and outside of the meat. Finely chop the garlic and parsley and place them in a container together with the breadcrumbs and pecorino . Also add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix everything.

2

Place the slices of meat on the cutting board and, if they are not thin, beat them gently with the meat mallet. Distribute a little of the breading in the central part then place a stick of caciocavallo .

3

First fold the external flaps and then roll up so that the cheese is well sealed inside. As they are ready, place them on a plate.

4

Brush them with oil and pass the rolls one by one in the breading , then threading them on a skewer toothpick. A portion usually includes 4 chops.

5

Once ready, cook them in a pan with a drizzle of oil for 2-3 minutes on each side and serve immediately so that the cheese remains stringy.

Here is a video with all the steps to make them. As you can see, they are truly morsels to be enjoyed in just one bite but be careful not to burn yourself!

Traditionally, Messina chops are accompanied with baked potatoes . Clearly, however, this tasty second course can be combined with any side dish, including pan-fried spinach or grilled radicchio , to lighten the entire preparation.

Variants

The versions found in Messina differ slightly from family to family, as often happens when talking about traditional Italian recipes. For this reason, there are various recipes available , with different cuts of meat, aromatic herbs or even cheeses more or less typical of Sicily.

In addition to veal , certainly the most tender, you can use beef or pork loin . In all cases, the important thing is that the slices are cut very thin, almost as if they were a carpaccio. Instead of Sicilian pecorino (different from the Roman one because it is more delicate), you can also use parmesan but you will deviate from tradition. The last variant involves the use of wild fennel instead of parsley.

If desired, you can cook the skewers with a cast iron grill , or even in the oven . In this case it will take approximately 8 minutes at 200°C . However, the beauty of this dish is the quick cooking which allows you to keep the meat tender, therefore we advise you to follow the traditional recipe.

Conservation

We advise you to prepare and enjoy this dish at the moment. In fact, the meat could become stringy as it cools.

Read also
Sicilian rolls in the air fryer

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