Roll me gently

It's not exactly the zucchini season, I know, but they're just about my favourite veggie all year round, and as long as I can find some decent looking ones at the supermarket I buy them. I love just grilling them and usually cook them prety simple.
This chicken - zucchini combination, however, seems to be a favourite of mine. Remember the Chicken and Zucchini meatballs?
This time it's something even quicker, and I really mean it. Snap, snap and these are done and you can eat, as much as you want, trust me.
If you should have some zucchini left, brush them with oil, and throw in a grill pan for a few minutes along with some other vegetables, I added fennel and red peppers, for example.

And if you were really "hard working" and "kneaded all day long" there might be a slice of homemade bread, fresh out of the oven next to your plate.

CHICKEN AND ZUCCHINI ROLLS

1/2 kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 ripe tomatoes
2 zucchini
2 TBspoons EVOO
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1/2 an onion
1 dl dry white wine
salt and pepper

Cut the chicken breast into very thin cutlets (3-4 mm), cover them with a piece of baking paper and pound a little (remember, non need to kill the chicken, it's dead already, be tender).
If your cutlets happen to be really large ones cut them in two, lengthwise, so that they're just slightly wider than the zucchini. Season them with salt and pepper and any other poultry seasoning that you like.
Wash and dry the zucchini, cut off the ends and slice them very thinly, lengthwise, possibly using a mandoline.
Place each cutlet over a zucchini slice, and roll them together so that the zucchini is on the outer side. Fasten with just one toothpick so they don't unwrap while cooking.
Clean and chopp as finely as you can the carrot, the celery stalk and the onion.

Saute the veggies in a deep skillet or a casserole (possibly use something that can go into the oven), on low heat so they get soft but don't burn.
Add the meat rolls and cook for 3-4 minutes turning them carefully with two forks.
Add the wine and let it evaporate almost completely. Add the sliced tomatoes on top.
Transfer everything into the oven that's already been preheated to 180°C, and let cook for 10 minutes.

The casserole I used can't go into the oven so I had to move everything into a baking dish and therefore it took me 10 minutes longer, as the dish was cold and it had warm up itself first. But, ok it wasn't such a problem after all, except having to wash two dishes later.

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Con questi involtini restiamo sul veloce e leggero.
Se vi piacciono il pollo e le zucchine, naturalmente, io non ci rinuncio tutto l'anno.
(ricetta tratta dal libro "Oggi cucino io, ricette Light", con qualche cambiamento, ho messo i pomodori freschi al posto della polpa, e pollo al posto del tacchino).

INVOLTINI DI POLLO E ZUCCHINE

1/2 kg petto di pollo
2 pomodori maturi
2 zucchine
2 cucchiai di olio EVO
1 carota
1 gambo di sedano
1/2 cipolla
1 dl vino bianco secco
sale e pepe

Tagliate il petto di pollo a fettine sottili (3-4 mm), copritele con un foglio di carta da forno e spianatele con il batticarne. Se le fettine sono molto più larghe delle zucchine, tagliatele a metà in senso di lunghezza.
Condite le fettine a piacere con il sale e pepe.
Tagliate le zucchine a fettine molto sottili (consiglio di usare il mandolino).
Appogiate su ogni fettina di zucchina una fettina di pollo, arrotolatele insieme e fissate con uno stuzzicadenti.
Tritate le verdure per il soffritto. Scaldate l'olio in un tegame (che possa andare nel forno) e soffriggete le verdure a fuoco basso per un paio di minuti mescolando ogni tanto.
Unite gli involtini e fateli rosolare per 3-4 minuti. Versateci il vino e lasciatelo evaporare. Aggiungete i pomodori tagliati a fettine e continuate a cuocere per altri 10 minuti nel forno già scaldato a 180°C. Io ho dovuto trasferire tutto in una pirofila da forno e quindi ci sono voluti circa 10 minuti in più.
Lasciate riposare qualche minuto prima di servire.

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Ja sam i dalje u štihu "lagano i brzo", sa što više povrća. Ako vam se sviđa pridružite mi se.

SMOTULJCI OD PILETINE I TIKVICA

1/2 kg pilećih prsa
2 manje rajčice
2 tikvice
2 žlice maslinovog ulja
1 mrkva
1 stapka celera
1/2 glavice crvenog luka
1 dl suhog bijelog vina
sol, vegeta, papar

Prse izrežite na tanke odreske, pokrijte papirom za pečenje i malo stucite. Ako su jako veliki, prerežite ih na pola po dužini. Malo ih posolite, povegetite i po želji popaprite.
Tikvice narežite na što tanje ploškice po dužini (ja sam ih rezala ribežom za kupus).
Položite jedan odrezak preko ploške tikvice, smotajte u rolnicu (tako da je tikvica izvana) i probodite čačkalicom.
Mrkvu, celer i luk sitno nasjeckajte (ili naribajte ili usitnite u multipraktiku).
Popržite smjesu povrća na zagrijanom ulju nekoliko minuta na srednjoj temperaturi.
Dodajte meso, popržite oko 3-4 minute, pažljivo okrećući.
Ulijte vino i pustite da ispari. Dodajte rajčice narezane na ploškice.
Ako posuda u kojoj ste kuhali meso može ići u pećnicu, stavite sve zapeći 10 minuta u pećnici već zagrijanoj na 180°C. U suprotnom prebacite u vatrostalnu posudu pa zapecite (trebat će vam 5-10 minuta više jer se hladna posuda mora opet zagrijati).