ROSA DI PARMA MEATLOAF

Time45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
Per 4 servings

1 lb beef fillet

1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, sliced

6 slices Prosciutto di Parma

3 cloves of garlic

1 sprig rosemary

3 cups Lambrusco

1 cup Marsala wine

cup olive oil

1 oz OLIO

salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Open the fillet out with a knife like a butterfly and then pound with a meat pounder, to form a large
slice. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover the slice of fillet with the Prosciutto di Parma slices and Parmigiano Reggiano slivers, roll up
and tie like a roast with kitchen string.
Let the fillet brown in a pan at medium heat with the butter, a drop of olive oil and the garlic.
Add the minced herbs to the fillet and let brown for a few seconds.
Add the red wine (Lambrusco) and the Marsala and let cook for about half an hour.
Remove the fillet from the casserole and set aside in a warm place; put the cream into the cooking
liquid, raise the heat and reduce the sauce for a few minutes. Cut the fillet into thick slices and
cover with the sauce before servin.



FOOD HISTORY
Lambrusco is a type of light Italian sparkling wine with a ruby red color. One of the symbols of the
Emilia region, Lambrusco probably comes from a wild grape variety. In fact, the word lambrusco
comes from the Latin terms labrum, or edge, and ruscum, or wild plant. The wine also has ancient
origins, proven by the fact that both Virgil and Cato both wrote about the wine. It seems as though
Lambrusco was very popular in ancient Rome.
Although we dont have precise information about when vitis lambrusca was first cultivated, we do
know that in the 3rd century Strabone confirms that, in what is now Emilia, there were huge barrels
of Lambrusco, larger than homes.
During the Middle Ages, Lambrusco played a part in an interesting story. It seems as though in
1084, Contessa Matilde di Canossawas able to stop the siege of troops of Emperor Henry V who
were closing in on the tower of Sorbara, thanks to the Lambrusco that was being produced in the
area. The siege took place during the hot July days and, according to the legend, the soldiers started
to drink the Lambrusco they found in the homes they entered in order to quench their thirst. After
tasting the wine, the soldiers couldnt resist drinking to the point of drunkenness, and allowing the
Contessa and her troops to defend themselves against the siege.