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Travelling Diabetic
  -  Travelling Diabetic
Knysna

Hi,

Jan here.

The daunting task of negotiating the menu at our Italian restaurant on a late summer evening. A table alongside the canal with a glorious sunset. A hint of the coming winter in the air.

As pizza and pasta on the menu were not options, I settled for an oven roasted veal ilvoltini (“involtini.” usually refers to something rolled up around a savory filling, and is also known as Braciole) with prosciutto, cheese and spinach. Served with oven roasted veggies.

On the carb log, veal ilvoltini has anything from 3grams to 72grams per serving, depending on whether a home made or commercial (with a large sugar component) sauce is used.

As Mario’s is a family owned and run restaurant, I was comfortable that Genaro made his own sauces. However, there was no doubt that it was on the sweet side and a carb number of 17 was probably more reflective of the dish.

Raats Cab Franc, a magical pairing.

Fasting blood sugars a tad in the high side, even after a run, but nothing crazy.

I’ll ask for the tomato sauce as a side dish next time.

Blood sugars

Low 6.2 mmol/L (Fasting target 4 – 6mmol/L)

High 7.0 mmol/L (2 hours after meal target, less than 7.8 mmol/L)

Weight 86Kg

Diabetic Carbs 50g (daily target, less than 50g)

SPINACH AND PROSCIUTTO STUFFED VEAL ROLLS

YIELD: SERVES 4

PREP TIME: 15 MINS

COOK TIME: 1 HR 15 MINS

Ingredients:
      • 8 Thin Slices Veal Scallopini
      • 8 Thin Slices Prosciutto
      • 2 Cups Cooked, Chopped Spinach
      • 1/3 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
      • Salt & Pepper
      • 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided

FOR THE SAUCE:
      • 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
      • 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
      • 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
      • 1 (28-ounce) Can Crushed Tomatoes
      • 2 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
      • 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
      • 3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
      • Salt & Pepper To Taste

Directions:
      1. Use a meat mallet if needed to even out the thickness of the scallopini.
      2. Use your hands, or a nut bag to squeeze out as much liquid from the spinach as possible, then place in a bowl.
      3. Add the cheese and two tablespoons of oil to the spinach and stir to mix.
      4. Season the spinach mixture with salt and pepper.
      5. Lay out each slice of veal, then cover with a slice of prosciutto.
      6. You can either cut the prosciutto to fit, or fold it over.
      7. Divide the spinach filling equally onto each slice of veal spreading evenly.
      8. At the narrowest end, tightly roll up the veal and square with two toothpicks, or if you prefer, tie with kitchen twine.
      9. Place the veal rolls on a plate and refrigerate until needed.
      10. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until lightly smoking, then cook the onions, stirring often until translucent, about 7 to 8 minutes.
      11. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two or until fragrant.
      12. Add the tomatoes, parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
      13. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 m minutes.
      14. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
      15. In a frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil and heat over medium heat until lightly smoking.
      16. Brown the veal rolls on all sides, turning as needed.
      17. Place a scoop of sauce into the bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish that will hold all of the veal rolls.
      18. Place the veal rolls side by side into the dish, then cover with the remaining sauce.
      19. Cover casserole dish, then bake until very tender, about 45 minutes.
      20. Remove toothpicks or twine, then serve warm with sauce.
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