Monday: Fleischvögel with leeks

The March Le Menu has a series of recipes for Fleischvögel (rouladen) that mostly all look good. My choice for last night was driven by the continuing presence of some smallish leeks in the fridge.

Start with 4 thin slices of beef, on each: smear on some pesto rosso and a grind of pepper; add a very thin slice of ham; add a piece of leek cut to be the appropriate width; roll up the Fleischvögel and tie them with kitchen twine. Brown the finished pieces quickly in a bit of clarified butter; deglaze with red wine; add some beef boullion and another spoonful of pesto rosso; bring to a low boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the leeks are tender, about an hour; turn the Fleischvögel occasionally. Adjust seasonings and, if necessary, thicken the sauce with a bit of potato starch.

We ate these with roasted baby potatoes and a big green salad and were very happy about how things went.