What is the ballotine that they keep making on MasterChef?

If there’s one cooking technique we’ve heard plenty about on MasterChef in the savory dish category, it’s ballotine. But what exactly is ballotine, and can we make it in our kitchen?

Ballotine is a French culinary term for a boneless piece of fillet, usually from poultry (chicken, duck, or turkey) or meat, that is rolled up and stuffed with a filling. This year on MasterChef, the seafood ballotine, made with various fish fillets, also had its moment.

The filling typically consists of minced meat, and in most recipes, a different type of meat is used compared to the fillet used for the ballotine. However, apart from the choice of ingredients and the rolling technique, ballotine has another distinctive aspect of cooking.

The most classic technique for preparing ballotine is as follows: once the filling is added to the fillet and rolled up, it is wrapped in kitchen film and simmered in a pot of water for 20-25 minutes. Afterward, the ballotine is unwrapped, and its cooking is completed in a pan or the oven. Finally, the ballotine is served whole or sliced, hot or cold, depending on the recipe.

If you're wondering what distinguishes it from a traditional meat roll that we bake in the oven, the cooking method for ballotine ensures that the meat remains much juicier while retaining all its flavor. It’s worth trying at home. To give you a taste, here is Gordon Ramsay's recipe for chicken ballotine stuffed with minced meat and pistachios, with the difference that the chef prefers to wrap the ballotine in aluminum foil instead of kitchen film before placing it in the pot with water.

Ingredients:

• 1 deboned chicken thigh
• ½ cup sausage mince
• ½ cup pistachios
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ½ tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups water
• ⅓ cup sherry vinegar
• ¼ cup Marsala sweet wine
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine the mince, pistachios, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
2. Lay the chicken fillet flat on a countertop with the skin side down and place the filling in the center. Roll it up tightly.
3. Pour half of the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a piece of aluminum foil, then spread the bacon slices side by side. Place the chicken roll on top of the bacon and, using the foil, roll it up so the bacon wraps around the roll. Tightly wrap the roll in the foil, like candy.
4. Bring a pot of medium heat and place the ballotine in the water for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. After chilling, remove the ballotine from the foil. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan, season the ballotine with salt and pepper, and sauté it until it is golden on all sides and the bacon becomes crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
6. In the same pan, add the vinegar, wine, and stock. Stir and simmer until the sauce thickens. Slice the ballotine and serve with the sauce and your choice of garnish.

Source