Saltimbocca is a traditional Italian dish thatssuper-quickandeconomicaltoo!
I adore the textural contrast of the crispy prosciutto, tender meat and the silky white wine butter sauce.
Traditionally made with veal, saltimbocca is also excellent made with chicken, pork and beef.
Saltimbocca with the traditional white wine butter sauce made with (wait for it….) butter and white wine!
HOT TIP:Great dinner party / make-ahead recipe.
But also, perhaps, about the speed at which it can be made.
As in: So fast, itjumps in your mouth.You see what I did there??!
Then the buttery, silky white wine sauce is made in the same pan this takes just another minute!
Its simple, classic, rustic and fabulous.
Whereas actually true Saltimbocca is far simpler.
Chicken Saltimbocca served with a leafy green salad tossed withEveryday Salad Dressing.
After all, why mess with perfection?
Veal vs beef Saltimbocca Ive tried both and here are the differences.
Veal is a more delicate, tender version of beef with a lighter flavour and a more giving texture.
Thats not to say that veal tastes better than beef in my view.
They are just different!
And different again is using pork or chicken for saltimbocca.
Veal Saltimbocca, ready to be cooked
Both mighty delicious, I should add!
The chicken saltimbocca pictured below was lunch yesterday.
I snapped a quick photo then hoovered it down still warm!
Chicken Saltimbocca
Otherwise, you could slice meat yourself and then flatten the steaks out.
Here in Australia, veal steaks in particular are always sold thin, rather than thick-cut like beef steaks.
Chicken Use a whole breast, sliced into steaks and pounded out.
Cold butter is the secret to thicken watery white wine into a silky buttery sauce!
Prosciutto This is what makes Saltimbocca, well, Saltimbocca rather than a plain ol pan-fried piece of meat!
Prosciutto is also provides the main seasoning for this dish.
We only add the tiniest pinch of salt in the sauce, and none on the veal!
How much prosciutto you need 4 small pieces or 2 very large slices.
Enough to cover one side of the veal when folded over itself as a double layer of prosciutto.
Fresh sage The essential herb in Saltimbocca, sage pairs beautifully with the prosciutto and meat.
Slice on a steep angle into 4 small steaks
It also brings a pop of colour.
I love how it crisps up as it fries!
The wine is reduced to evaporate most of the alcohol, leaving behind just flavour.
Pound to 0.5 cm / 1/” thickens
So it doesnt taste winey at all.
Wine bang out Pinot grigio, being a wine variety popular in Italy, is fitting.
However I personally also like chardonnay for the assertive flavours this wine brings to food.
Ready to use!
Actually any white wine will work fine here, and even a sparkling wine/champagne.
Flour This is used to dust the non-prosciutto side of the veal.
Once cooked, it creates a thin crust that gives the sauce something to cling to.
The golden stuff stuck in the pan in Step 4 is called “fond” and it’s free flavour for the Saltimbocca sauce!
Without it, the sauce just slips off the surface of the meat like Teflon.
Pepper only No salt required!
The salt from the prosciutto is all we need on the veal.
Although I do like to add a pinch into the sauce, it barely needs it.
Olive oil For pan-frying the veal.
Its really not hard, I promise.
If youre an old hand at Saltimbocca however, you’re free to bypass this whole section.
Dust underside with flour.
Cook:Prosciutto side 90 seconds, flip, 60 seconds on the other.
Deglaze:Remove veal, discard excess oil.
Deglaze pan with wine, turn off stove, drop in butter and swirl to melt.
Chicken and beef are also often sold in thinly-sliced form here.
Prevent screen from sleeping
It doesnt matter what size or shape the pieces are, more important is the thickness.
Then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the veal gently and evenly so it flattens uniformly.
Cutting chicken for saltimbocca see info box below for detailed steps.
Prosciutto Sprinkle the veal with pepper (no salt, we get enough from the prosciutto).
Fold the prosciutto in half then place on top of the veal.
Note its does not wrap the meat, it is only covering the top surface.
Pierce the meat from the underside, weave through the prosciutto and sage, then back out the underside.
This way they sit flatter against the meat and cook more evenly.
Its especially useful for freezing things.
How to cut chicken for Saltimbocca
Chicken breastis easiest to handle for Saltimbocca.
You will only need one large 220 250g / 7 8oz breast.
Boneless thighsare another option if you prefer.
Use 2 small thighs.
Cut open and spread (butterfly) the thicker end to even out the thickness, then pound.
Cooking Saltimbocca
Sear Cook the prosciutto side of the veal first until golden, around 1 1/2 minutes.
Flipand cook the flour dusted side for 60 more seconds.
Discardexcess oil in the pan.
Tip it out, but dont scrape the pan clean.
All that golden stuff you see stuck to the pan is calledfond.
Wine Return the pan to the stove then add the wine.
Reduce by half, around 20 to 30 seconds.
But, its still tasty!
Thickened sauce And here it is!
Look how creamy and glossy that sauce looks.
Thats what happens when you slowly melt cold butter into a sauce!
More fond = browner or more orange-coloured sauce (like in the video).
Less fond = more butter-yellow sauce, like in the photos in this post.
And with that, were done!
Super fast, see?
It HAS to be, or else youll overcook the veal.
Time to plate up: put the Saltimbocca on serving plates then spoon over that dreamy sauce.
Which means creamymashed potatoon normal days,cauliflower mashon Im trying to be good!
days, polenta on Im really going for a proper Italian vibe here!
days, and bread for plate-mopping on I cant even handle making mash today!
Side salad Try a side ofSauteed Garlic Green Beans, my favouriteTomato Salad.
Or if speed is of the essence, a quick ItalianRocket/Arugula Salad.
Id love to know what you serve Saltimbocca with if you give this a go, let me know!
Kleenexs are to wipe eye-snot and unidentifiable goop coming out of ones nose.
One and the same to him.
