Saltimbocca alla Romana

Saltimbocca is Italian for ‘jump in my mouth’ because it is so wonderful that is does. It can be made with chicken but I decided to go old school and use veal. I made this for our Valentine’s celebration. It is perfect for celebrating because it takes no time to make so you can spend more time with your sweetie. It is also delicious and looks complicated but could not be easier. The method that I have used, with veal and sage, is Saltimbocca alla Romana. You can call it that because that sounds all fancy.

You can use chicken if you don’t like veal or it is out of your price range. The steps are the same, just pound the chicken cutlets flat. You can also substitute the sage for basil. And you can use broth or white wine instead of Marsala. The dish is very versatile, but wonderful no matter what.

Servings: 4-6

Time: Cook-20 minutes, Active time: 30 minutes, Saltimbocca in about 35 minutes

Hardware:  2 plates, tongs, a large deep skillet, measuring cups and spoons, whisk

Ingredients:

• 1+1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 pound veal scaloppini (ask the butcher to slice it very thin)
• ¼ pound prosciutto (sliced as thin as possible)
• 1 cup fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup Marsala
• ½ cup chicken stock
• Salt 
  

Saltimbocca alla Romana

1. Clip the stems from the sage leaves. Lightly salt the veal. You won't need much salt because the prosciutto and the butter are salty.
2. Work with one scaloppini at a time. Lay 2 or 3 sage leaves down the length of the veal. Then lay a piece of prosciutto on top of the veal. Press down as hard as you can. It should adhere. Do this for the rest of the slices.
3. Place the flour in one of the plates. Press the veal down into the flour. Make sure to press the prosciutto down.
4. Heat one tablespoon of butter in the skillet on medium high. Place the veal, prosciutto side down into the hot pan. Just allow the veal to brown, only cook for a minute or two. If the pan is hot enough the veal should brown right away. Use the tongs to flip it and brown on the other side. Remove to the other plate. Don’t crowd the veal. You may need to cook in batches.
5. When you have browned all the meat, add the other tablespoon of butter to the pan. Whisk in the Marsala and stock. Allow it to come to a boil, whisking the entire time. Boil until the wine reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to simmer.
6. Return the veal to the pan and simmer to desired temperature, but for no more than 5 minutes.
7. Serve over angel hair pasta or creamy risotto.