Negima (Japanese Beef Scallion Rolls)

An elegant-looking appetizer that requires minimal effort. Posted by request, from Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist Cooks at Home"

• Ready In: 16 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 lbs beef or 1 1⁄4 lbs chicken or 1 1⁄4 lbs  veal or 1 1⁄4 lbs pork, cutin 8 thin slices each about 3 inches wide and 5 to 6 inches long
• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 2  dozen  green parts from scallions

Directions

1. Preheat a grill or broiler; fire should be quite hot.
2. Place the meat between two layers of wax paper or plastic wrap and pound it gently so that it is about 1/8-inch thick.
3. Brush one side of each piece of meat with a little soy sauce.
4. Cut the scallions into length about the same width as the meat and place a small bundle of them at one of the narrow ends of each slice.
5. Roll the long way, securing the roll with a toothpick or two.
6. (You can prepare the rolls in advance up to this point; cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before proceeding) Brush the exterior of the roll with a little more sauce.
7. Grill until brown on all sides, a total of about 6 minutes for chicken, 4-5 minutes for pork or veal, 4 minutes or less for beef.
8. Optional fillers: Scallions work very well; so do chives.
9. You could also use small amounts of lightly cooked, chopped spinach or chard; cooked, chopped shiitake (or other) mushrooms; julienned and lightly cooked carrots; parboiled asparagus spears.
10. As alternatives to soy sauce, you can use asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam), chinese hoisin sauce, or premade teriyaki sauce.