Rolled chicken with spinach and ricotta

Place the ricotta in a colander to drain well, then transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

To make the spinach and ricotta filling, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes, then add the spinach. Season with salt to taste. Cook until the spinach wilts. Transfer to the colander. Use the back of a ladle to push down on the spinach and squeeze out excess moisture. Allow to cool.

Once cool, add the spinach to the mixing bowl with ricotta. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano), dried breadcrumbs, sage, freshly grated nutmeg and sea salt to taste. Mix with a spoon until well combined.

Line a clean work surface with cling film (plastic wrap). Line 6 kitchen strings evenly spaced along the plastic wrap (each string approximately 30cm long). Arrange the chicken fillet slices on top of the strings over the cling film, overlapping slightly. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Spoon the spinach and ricotta filling evenly over the breast fillet leaving a 2cm border around the edges. Arrange the ham slices over the spinach and ricotta layer. Use the plastic wrap to roll up the chicken tightly to enclose the filling. Use kitchen string to tie the chicken at 5cm intervals. Secure the ends with toothpicks.

Heat 3 tablespoons (60ml) extra virgin olive oil in a Large Round Casserole pot (Dutch oven) over medium heat. Carefully transfer the rolled chicken to the pot and brown well on all sides.

Add the white wine and cook for a few minutes until the wine has reduced. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves. Pour the hot chicken stock over the rolled chicken and vegetables. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.

Transfer the rolled chicken to a chopping board to rest.

Meanwhile to make a gravy, strain the pot juices into a medium-sized saucepan, using the back of the ladle to extract as much flavour as possible. Cook over high heat to reduce the cooking liquid until it reaches a thick and rich gravy consistency. Pour into a gravy boat.

Remove the string from the rolled chicken and slice thickly (approximately 3cm thick or to your liking). The thicker the chicken slices, the better it will hold its shape. Divide the chicken among plates and pour over the gravy to serve – buon appetito!