Cordoban pork rolls

PREPARATION  25 minutes chilling time

COOKING  35 minutes

SERVES  4-6

100 g (3½ oz) butter

60 g (2¼ oz/½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

185 ml (6 fl oz/¾ cup) milk

185 ml (6 fl oz/¾ cup) chicken stock

4 pork schnitzel pieces, 100 g (3½ oz) each

4 thin slices jamón, 100 g (3½ oz) each

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large eggs

dash of milk

plain (all-purpose) flour, for coating

dried breadcrumbs, for coating

olive oil, for deep-frying

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low–medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring. Slowly whisk in the combined milk and stock mixture. Season and then stir for 8–10 minutes, or until quite thick. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Using a mallet, pound the pork until about 5 mm thick and slightly longer and wider than the jamón slices. Trim edges to form neat rectangles.

Lay a piece of jamón over the top of each rectangle. Combine the parsley and garlic and sprinkle on top. Roll up and hold in place with a toothpick. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When white sauce is cold and firm remove from refrigerator. You will need to mould the sauce around the pork. Add a little milk if mix is too thick and won’t stick to the pork. Note that the mixture just needs to coat the pork – work quickly, it doesn’t need to look too neat as the pork will be coated in crumbs. Place on a tray in a single layer, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up again.

Place the eggs and a dash of milk in a bowl and combine. Place the flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Lightly coat the pork rolls in the flour then dip into the egg wash, then lift out allowing any excess to drip off then roll in the breadcrumbs. Continue until all are coated. Refrigerate until ready to cook to firm crumbs. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

Meanwhile fill a deep-fryer or a heavy-based casserole dish one-third full of oil and heat the oil to 180°C (350°F). Fry the pork until golden, about 1 minute on each side. Place in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until firm to touch. Remove toothpicks and serve.