I love spedini, they are such a rich, comforting food. I like their versatility, too. You can find literally hundreds if not thousands of variations; everybody has their own version. I make mine with whatever is laying around the kitchen, something which I am sure will shock and anger any spedini purist out there. I feel, however, that there is a certain pleasure in adapting recipes to your own tastes, which is why I welcome all of you to feel at ease telling us about your own preferences. I hope that you enjoy this recipe.
You will need:
A 1 ½ pound piece of tenderloin (use the commercial cut, it pounds out thin quite easily)
1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup of freshly grated parmiggiano cheese
½ cup of shelled walnuts
2 cloves of garlic
Fresh parsley
Fresh basil
3 eggs, beaten
Enough oil to fry the spedini
Extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil for the pesto (just a little bit to aid the grinding)
Clean the tenderloin with cold water and pat dry. Slice it into ½ inch pieces. Using a meat pounder, gently coax the pieces of tenderloin until they are thin enough to easily roll into spedini. Avoid overpounding which will result in holes. Take the parmiggiano, walnuts, garlic, parsley and fresh basil and grind in a mortar and pestle until a paste-like consistency has formed. Use the olive oil to thin out the paste if necessary.
Spread the paste onto your thinly pounded out pieces of tenderloin and roll them into spedini, like rolling a cigar. Take the spedini and dip them into the egg wash, then coat them in the seasoned breadcrumbs and fry until browned on the outside, taking care not to let the spedini open up(start frying on the seam). Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake the spedini until fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with your favorite vegetables for a satisfying meal.
