Sicilian Pork Skin Roll-ups

pork skin roll-up with tomato sauce, crusty Italian bread

 and Parmesan cheese "lacy cookie"

Ah yes, pork skin is still a favorite of mine. It is cheap and protein rich, can be prepared barbecue Korean or Filipino-style, and a great addition to Cassoulet and Italian Sunday Gravy. I adapted a simple recipe for Sicilian pork skin roll-up and simmered the roll-ups in Sunday Gravy tomato sauce. You may use your favorite Italian tomato sauce. For decoration and to add crunch and more cheese flavor, I made Parmesan cheese "lacy cookies". The dish is good...really really good.

Sicilian Pork Skin Roll-ups

3 pieces 8 x 12-inch cleaned pork skin

1½ cups bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup chopped onion

3 teaspoons chopped Italian parsley

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon sea salt, divided into 3 portions

ground black pepper

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

kitchen twine, cut into 8-inch pieces

6 cups tomato sauce, click Italian Sunday Gravy above for recipe, or use canned marinara sauce

• Lay one skin on a flat surface, fat side up. Mix bread crumbs and Italian seasoning, sprinkle ½ cup all over, sprinkle ¼ cup cheese, ¼ cup onion, 1 garlic mince, 1 teaspoon parsley, a portion of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Drizzle all over with 1 teaspoon olive oil. 
• Roll tightly from the short end and tie with strings. Repeat with the remaining skins. Place in a Dutch oven or large saucepan with the sauce and simmer, covered, for 2 hours or until fork tender. Cool slightly before cutting into half-inch slices. Serve with lots of sauce on a bed of pasta or crusty Italian bread.

If you're hesitant to have pork skin/rind, here's what I found from a men's health care web page. And I always thought deep fried pork rind is very unhealthy. Of course, eating in moderation is important.

A 1-ounce serving of deep fried pork rind (chicaron) contains zero carbohydrates, 17 grams (g) of protein, and 9 g fat. That's nine times the protein and less fat than you'll find in a serving of carb-packed potato chips. Even better, 43 percent of pork rind's fat is unsaturated, and most of that is oleic acid, the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Another 13 percent of its fat content is stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that's considered harmless because it doesn't raise cholesterol levels.