A sort of Bolognese shish kebab appetizer, with skewered slices of veal or chicken, Gruyere cheese, bread chunks, and Bolognese mortadella sausage dipped in batter and deep fried.

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds veal or chicken breast slices, sliced and flattened to about 1/4-inch thickness
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound mortadella or other Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch squares, 1/2-inch thick
• 12 slices bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch squares
• 3/4 pound imported French Gruyere, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup tepid milk
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups unflavored breadcrumbs
• 2 cups olive oil or other cooking oil

1. Heat butter in a large frying pan until it is foaming. Add olive oil. Add veal and cook, turning, for about 25 minutes over very low heat, or until veal is tender. (If you are able to obtain really pink baby veal, your cooking time will be less and the results more tender.) Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. On individual wooden skewers, skewer first a square of mortadella, a square of bread, a cube of Gruyere, another square of bread, a square of veal, a cube of Gruyere, and finish off with another square of mortadella. Repeat this operation on a total of 12 skewers.

3. Dip the skewers in the tepid milk, then in the flour, then in the beaten eggs, and then in the breadcrumbs. Dip them again into the eggs and once more in the breadcrumbs.

4. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add skewers and deep fry until the crusts are crisp and golden. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and serve.

From:
Northern Italian Cooking
Francesco Ghedini
Hawthorne