Saltimbocca is a classic dish found throughout Italy. It’s traditionally made with veal, but can also be made with chicken breasts. I have never made it with chicken, but when I do, I will let you know which way is tastier. This recipe is quite simple to make and because the veal cutlets are pounded thin, it cooks in no time.
Saltimbocca means “jump in your mouth” in Italian, and that’s exactly what this dish does. Before I even finished my first piece, the platter was clean, and the rest of the pieces seemed to have mysteriously jumped into the mouths of others. Oh well, at least they enjoyed it.
Buy some veal cutlets that are no thicker than 1/2 inch. I used 7 cutlets for this recipe. I figured 2 per adult, 1 per child, and one extra. Try and buy the veal from a butcher or market that has butcher service, like Whole Foods.
Place each individual slice in between a sheet of wax paper.
Pound with the flat side of a meat cleaver, until the slice is no thicker than 1/4 inch.
Lay out your sage leaves and prosciutto slices. You will need 2 leaves of sage and one slice of prosciutto per veal cutlet.
Season veal with salt and pepper. Place 2 fresh sage leaves and a slice of prosciutto on each veal cutlet.
Fold the slices in half.
Secure the slices with toothpicks. 1 toothpick per slice works fine.
Dust the slices with flour.
Melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan. Try and cook as many cutlets at the same time as possible without crowding the slices.
When the butter starts to foam…..
Add the veal cutlets.
Over fairly high heat, brown for about 2 minutes on each side, reduce the heat, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the veal is just tender. Do not overcook.
Transfer the veal to a platter, remove the toothpicks, and keep warm.
Add 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine to the pan to de-glaze,
making sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce sauce by 1/4.
Pour sauce over the Saltimbocca, and enjoy!
Ingredients:
8 veal cutlets, sliced thin.
8 thin slices prosciutto
16 fresh sage leaves
flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
salt and pepper
Cooking method:
Place each individual veal slice in between a sheet of wax paper and pound with the flat side of a meat cleaver to make them thinner than they were cut. Season with salt and pepper, place 2 fresh sage leaves and 1 slice of prosciutto on each slice. Fold the slices in half and secure with toothpicks. Dust the folded slices with flour. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Try and cook as many veal cutlets as you can without crowding the pan. When the butter is melted and starts to foam, add the veal slices and brown quickly, for about 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until the veal is just tender. Do not overcook. Transfer the veal to a platter remove the toothpicks, and keep warm. De-glaze the pan with the wine, scraping the sides and bottom with a wooden spoon. Reduce the sauce by 1/4, and pour over the veal. Enjoy!
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