Luke and Sarah meet up at their parent’s house in Tucson, AZ to recreate a beloved Italian family dish. “Birds” were a family favorite – usually reserved for a holiday gathering. In looking up the origins of this dish, we found something similar called- Involtini di Manzo (little rolls of beef). Mom always told us that they were called birds because they looked like little birds on a wire when finished. In some parts of Italy they call something similar ‘Ucceletti Scappati’ (the little birds that got away). In ancient times, the wealthy often roasted wild birds on skewers. Using scraps of beef instead, was a way to have something similar that felt refined.
Although labor intensive, this dish is worth the effort. The thinly sliced London broil beef melts in your mouth, if you make them like Mom insists – “not too big!” she says.
INVOLTINI DI MANZO – ‘BIRDS’
2 lbs London broil
Ask your butcher to slice it as thin as possible (like lunch meat)
Stuffing:
5 slices of a fresh, rustic loaf of bread – torn into pieces then pulsed in a food processor
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
Fresh herbs: parsley, rosemary, thyme and sage – stems removed (approx. 1 full cup), minced. (reserve half the fresh herbs for marinade)
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2-3 whole cloves garlic, minced (reserved half the garlic for the marinade)
Approx. 3-4 tbsp Olive oil freely drizzled until bread mixture is moist
Marinade:
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
fresh garlic (reserved from above)
fresh herbs (reserved from above)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Cut beef into strips approximately 2″ x 4″
Press approximately 2 tsp of stuffing onto each strip and roll up, adding to skewers
Once skewers are full, set in fridge to rest while you prepare the rest of the meal. These can be made a day ahead if necessary.
When ready to cook, turn on your oven broiler to high heat.
Lay the skewered ‘birds’ in the rest of the dry bread crumbs to coat on both sides. Once coated well, place the skewers on a roasting rack and drizzle them with the marinade. Place under the broiler for approximately 5 minutes, watching them to make sure they don’t burn. Using oven proof gloves, carefully flip them over and drizzle with more marinade. Cook the other side for another 4-5 minutes just until browned. They don’t take long to cook.
Remove from skewers and serve with potatoes, rice or pasta and some fresh vegetables of choice!
3 Comments
Love this dad!! So so incredible!😊
This was so great Giatta Sailer! Are you sure you wanted to give these closely guarded secrets away? So fun to hear Frank’s voice and watch your wonderful family in action!
It's alarming how uninformed some Americans are. They handle raw meat with their bare hands and then touch all other foods. Just so you know: Raw foods can contain bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which can cause illness if ingested. It's safer to wear gloves when handling raw meat and to thoroughly wash hands after contact to reduce the risk of food contamination.