This dish is inspired by Anthony Bourdain's favourite sandwich - the mortadella roll, and it was one of the dishes I cooked with the Bessie's Sydney team at my recent pop up. It's grilled mortadella on a skewer that's served with a parmesan and pecorino sauce, topped with pangrattato. It's really quick to put together and your guests will love it as it's delicious!
Category
Dinner
Servings
2
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
This dish is inspired by Anthony Bourdain's favourite sandwich - the mortadella roll, and it was one of the dishes I cooked with the Bessie's Sydney team at my recent pop up. It's grilled mortadella on a skewer that's served with a parmesan and pecorino sauce, topped with pangrattato. It's really quick to put together and your guests will love it as it's delicious!
Ingredients
-
240g mortadella, sliced thin
-
60ml cream
-
20ml milk
-
20g finely grated parmesan
-
20g finely grated pecorino
-
1 tbsp olive oil
-
50g panko bread crumbs
-
1 clove garlic
-
zest of 1 lemon
-
½ bunch flat leaf parsley leaves
-
sea salt
Directions
Skewer the mortadella
Take a slice of the mortadella and fold it lengthways four times and then fold in an S shape, pushing it together so it looks like a square. Then secure it onto a skewer and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Make sure the pieces line up together and are tidy (you want about 60g per skewer).
Make the cheese sauce
Place the cream and milk in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat. Bring just to a simmer, ensuring it does not come to a boil.
Add the parmesan and pecorino in small batches and whisk until it becomes a homogenised sauce. Don’t let it boil as it will split.
Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and cover the surface with cling film (ensuring that the clingfilm touches the sauce so there’s minimal air in there. Place in the fridge until cooled and set.
Make the pangrattato
Heat half the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Finely grate the garlic clove then add to the pan with the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs are nicely toasted, about 4-5 minutes. Season with sea salt towards the end.
Finely chiffonade the parsley, then add to the pan with the lemon zest and remove from the heat. Mix through well, then transfer to a bowl.
Grill and assemble
Heat a char grill pan or oven grill to high. Drizzle the skewers with the remaining oil.
Cook the skewers for 4-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.
Uncover the cheese sauce and mix to loosen a little. Spread some of the sauce onto a serving plate. Top with the skewers and sprinkle the tops with the pangrattato.
Recipe notes
Cook support
Watch the milk and cream carefully so that it doesn’t come to a boil, as this will cause the sauce to split and curdle.
Sourcing
Sliced mortadella is available in packets or freshly sliced from the deli. You want it thin sliced but not shaved.
Substitutions
There are some flavoured mortadellas that could be used in this recipe, such as with olives, pistachios, peppercorns or even truffles.
Storage
This is best eaten fresh, but if you do make the sauce ahead of time, make sure it is refrigerated with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cheese so that it does not form a skin. Then mix it vigorously before serving.
