Mama Rosa Musi is the quintessential Italian grandmother: old enough to be believable as a grandmother but still young and vibrant enough to make a multicourse meal for forty in a tiny kitchen. Her warmth, graciousness, and generosity make you feel like a family member within the first half hour of meeting her.

I arrived at her house in the village of Reverberi in the hills outside Parma as a guest of the consorzio that makes and markets Parmigiano-Reggiano. That afternoon, with the aid of her daughters, Lucia and Maria, Mama Rosa showed me how to make the stuffed pasta squares called tortelli, filled with ricotta (from the local dairy), chard, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. For the pièce de résistance, I learned to make rosa di Parma, a whole fillet butterflied and stuffed with prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano, rolled, tied, rubbed with fresh sage, rosemary, and garlic, and roasted.

Whole fillet is not cheap, nor are the ingredients used to give it flavor here. It’s a royal dish, worthy of the most elegant of dinner parties or special celebrations. The fact that its name, Rosa, matched our hostess’s was an appropriate coincidence.

This menu makes for a very festive holiday dinner for a dozen guests. If you are serving fewer people, reduce the size of the roast accordingly. You can ask the butcher to double-butterfly the fillet or do it yourself, as described below.

Serves 12

BEEF TENDERLOIN ROLL WITH PROSCIUTTO AND PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 4- to 5-pound trimmed whole beef fillet (beef tenderloin) roast (6 pounds untrimmed)
• 6–8 thin slices prosciutto
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

HERB RUB

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep the beef tenderloin roast by removing the side strip of meat (save for later) and trimming most of the external fat and the underlying silver skin. Double-butterfly the fillet by making two parallel cuts along the long sides, leaving about 1 inch uncut. Open up the cuts to create a large rectangle and press it down to an even thickness.
2. Layer prosciutto slices over the meat, followed by a layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll the meat jelly-roll style and tie it with butcher’s twine at 2-inch intervals. Let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
4. Lightly brush the roast with olive oil, then coat it with the herb rub mixture. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 110°F to 115°F for rare, 120°F to 125°F for medium-rare, or 130°F to 135°F for medium. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
5. Remove the twine and slice the roast into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve.

COOK’S NOTE

• For other cuts, such as butterflied flank steak, boneless bottom sirloin flap roast (bavette), or boneless New York strip roast, increase the amount of prosciutto and cheese as needed. These cuts may serve fewer, depending on which one you buy, so figure on 4 to 5 ounces per serving.
• The side strip of meat removed from the tenderloin can be saved for a stir-fry.