The beef birds are made with skirt steak, an economical cut of meat though not necessarily a tender one, embellished with two of Italy's best-known pork products, prosciutto and pancetta. The meat cooked quickly under the broiler and would have been even better on an outdoor grill.

Makes 6 servings

BEATRIZ DA COSTA/AP (ENLARGE)
Beef Birds, served on a salad of escarole and red onion
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2 pounds skirt steak, about ½-inch thick, cut into twelve 4-inch-long pieces

12 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

12 fresh sage leaves

1 pound pancetta, cut into 1-inch cubes (you will need 18 cubes)

6 wooden skewers

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing, plus 1 tablespoon for salad

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup roughly cut escarole

½ red onion, sliced

Preheat the grill or broiler.

Lay the beef out on a work surface. Cover each slice with a slice of prosciutto, place a sage leaf in the middle of each slice of prosciutto, and roll up, starting from a short side. Thread the pancetta and beef rolls alternately on wooden skewers, using 2 rolls and 3 cubes of pancetta per skewer. Brush the meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill or broil, turning once, until the beef is cooked medium rare, about 3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, toss the escarole and onions with remaining olive oil and salt to taste. Place on platter. Place the skewers on the salad and season again with salt. Serve.

(Recipe from "Molto Italiano" by Mario Batali, Ecco, 2005, $34.95)

By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer