Saltimbocca, literally translates to "jump in mouth", and encompasses what I love about Italian cuisine; it has very few ingredients, cooks up very quickly, and is simply delicious. Served in many Italian restaurants, its ease of preparation makes it a cinch to prepare in the home kitchen.
It starts with beautiful slices of veal, tasty slices of prosciutto and fresh sage leaves. Get some toothpicks out ahead of time as once your hands have gotten into the meat, you don't want to be digging in the box for them.
It starts with beautiful slices of veal, tasty slices of prosciutto and fresh sage leaves. Get some toothpicks out ahead of time as once your hands have gotten into the meat, you don't want to be digging in the box for them.
Simply lay a single slice of prosciutto on top of each thin slice of veal. Top with a fresh sage leaf or two and use the toothpicks to hold everything in place. Really, it only takes a few moments to put these together.
See how simple this is? Be sure to use fresh sage; it makes all the difference in the world. My good friend, Wendy Holloway taught me how to make these in Rome. Aren't they beautiful?!
See how simple this is? Be sure to use fresh sage; it makes all the difference in the world. My good friend, Wendy Holloway taught me how to make these in Rome. Aren't they beautiful?!
Next, you just need to dredge the pieces lightly in some flour that's been seasoned with salt and pepper. Be sure to kind of toss it back and forth from hand to hand to really shake off the excess flour. You really want these to have a sheer coating of flour, so they don't get all gummy in the frying pan.
If you were making these for company, you could make them ahead to this point. When people are ready to eat, you just fry them up in a flash.
If you were making these for company, you could make them ahead to this point. When people are ready to eat, you just fry them up in a flash.
In Italy, butter isn't used all that often as olive oil is preferred. This recipe uses a little of both. Put a glug of olive oil in a large saute pan and add a pat of butter as well. When the butter melts and begins to foam, swirl the pan to mix the butter and oil.
Have a little more butter and a good glug of white wine sitting next to the stove at the ready for finishing the dish.
Have a little more butter and a good glug of white wine sitting next to the stove at the ready for finishing the dish.
Place the cutlets sage side down into the hot butter/oil. This picture shows the veal cutlet after I have already cooked the first side, and I've just flipped them over. These fry up very quickly as the veal should be a very thin slice. People need to be ready to eat once you start cooking!
Remove the finished pieces of veal to a platter. Now you will see there are lovely brown bits left behind in the pan. Pour in a glug of white wine and prepare for the beautiful sizzle. The steam and moisture will loosen up those crispy brown bits. Also throw in another pat of butter. Use a rubber spatula to scrape everything up and mix it all together into a delicious finishing sauce. Don't worry that there's not much of it.
Just make sure every piece gets a little drizzle of sauce. Believe me, there is so much flavor there already; the salty prosciutto, the earthy sage, the tender veal. Each piece of meat needs a mere spoonful of sauce.
And it's finished....that fast! It begs to be eaten NOW, so as I said, be sure everyone is ready to eat. One of my pet peeves is when I say, "Let's eat!" and people don't come running. I only tell you this in case you're ever over for dinner :)
I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh collard greens that had been sauteed with pine nuts and raisins. But, I'll save that recipe for another day. Buon Appetito!
I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh collard greens that had been sauteed with pine nuts and raisins. But, I'll save that recipe for another day. Buon Appetito!
RSS Feed
