Rostin Nega'a

Taste the traditional dishes of Milano

Arrostino annegato (literally “drowned roast”) is the Italian translation of this recipe called Rostin nega'a in Milanese. Arrostino, or small roast, refers to a veal cutlet that includes both fillet and sirloin still attached to the bone.

 

The traditional recipe calls for the meat to be lightly coated in flour before being seared in butter with cubes of pancetta and a twig of rosemary. It is then doused with white wine, which is allowed to evaporate before the meat is covered with broth.

 

Salt and pepper are added to taste and the meat is baked in the oven at 160° C in a covered pan for about an hour and a half.

 

The “drowned” roast is cooked until it is exceptionally tender. In the past, this long cooking process took place in a special deep copper skillet called a stuin, which was placed directly on the hearth’s coals.

The Cherubini dictionary of Milanese-Italian (1839) defines stuin as “a type of vase or pignatto, made of terracotta and tightly-sealed by its lid; used for stewing meat”.

The recipe

Ingredients – Serves 4

 

  • 4 veal noisettes at least 3 cm thick
  • White flour
  • 50 g butter
  • 15 g diced pancetta
  • Sprig of rosemary
  • Half cup dry white wine
  • Stock

 

Heat the oven to 160°C.

Prepare the noisettes: cut through the central nerve so they do not curl up during cooking and lightly flour.

 

In a casserole, brown the pancetta in butter and rosemary, add veal noisettes and brown them on both sides.

 

Pour over the wine and allow it to evaporate, add some boiling stock and cover with the lid. Put in the oven and cook for an hour and a half or more until the meat is tender and glazed.

 

This recipe can be prepared without an oven, but with the special care of using either a casserole having a thick bottom and a perfectly closing cover or a fry fast top.

 

After the first browning, useful for sealing the meat and keeping it tender during cooking, and after having added just a little boiling stock, lower the flame and allow to cook slowly.