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"Soylent Green" or Involtini with White Beans & Greens

We made these for a "fictional food" themed party. This makes 10, so you may want to scale it down. Thank you to Clancey's meats for accommodating my cutlet request. The rest I based on Roman flavors and the goal of making everything as green as possible. They turned out delicious and I didn't even get punched in the face by Charlton Heston!



10 pork or veal cutlets
2 leeks
1 head escarole or other leafy green
1 can white beans, drained
1/2 c. frozen green peas
1 handful fresh parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1/4 c. shredded Romano cheese
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1-2 Tbsp. verjus or white wine vinegar
Salt and fresh ground black pepper


Sprinkle the cutlets with salt and pepper and keep them cold in the refrigerator. Overall the rolls are easier to handle if they are kept cold.


Cut the leaks lengthwise and wash each leaf under running water to remove grit. Chop coarsely. Wash the escarole and parsley and chop coarsely. Defrost the peas.

Saute the leeks until softened (I used bacon fat for extra flavor). Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.

Chop the greens and peas coarsely in a food processor. Add in the cooked leeks. Add the white beans and pulse in the cumin seeds. Season with the Romano cheese, fish sauce, verjus, and salt and pepper. Keep the texture somewhat chunky.

Spread the filling on the cutlets and roll up. Secure them with toothpicks (or just cook very carefully, starting with the seam side down). Heat cooking oil in two very large pans and place the rolls in the pans so they are not crowded. Cook gently so that they brown on the outside and the meat cooks thoroughly.

I had filling leftover, so I sauteed the remainder for a couple minutes and then spooned it on top.

Spoiler alert!

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