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Authentic Saltimbocca alla Romana Recipe
Rome, Italy
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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Pan-fried veal cutlets wrapped in Italian prosciutto, flavored with fresh sage, and sautéed in white wine — it doesn't get more straightforward than that. The recipe itself doesn't require many ingredients, but if you want your saltiambocca to taste like the one from a Roman restaurant kitchen, the ingredients must be of top quality. To prepare the perfect saltimbocca alla Romana, your veal cutlets must be pounded very thin, making the meat extra tender. The prosciutto should be sliced paper-thin and used with the fat on, as this will lend even more flavor as the fat renders out during frying. Lastly, for sautéing, use a skillet or a pan that is large enough to hold all of the cutlets comfortably, and bear in mind that they hardly need more than a few minutes per side.
Cooking tips
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veal
Saltimbocca is made with thin slices of veal cut from the top round, which are to be cut against the grain so that the fibers are short; otherwise, the meat curls and toughens during cooking. Another trick to help prevent the meat from toughening is to pound the veal slices very thin using a meat mallet. Veal scallops for saltimbocca are usually pounded to a thickness of about 1/8- to 1/4-inch (3 ... Read more -
prosciutto
Italian prosciutto is especially sweet and can’t really be substituted with any other type of ham. Some recipes call for using a particular variety like prosciutto di Parma or prosciutto di San Daniele, but pretty much any Italian-made ham will do. The prosciutto slices must be paper-thin, and you need to be careful while browning the scallops as prosciutto hardens if it fries for too long. -
technique
You can avoid using toothpicks by placing sage leaves directly onto veal scallops and topping them with slices of prosciutto; this way, the prosciutto will stick to the scallops by itself and keep the sage in place. Alternatively, you can make rolls, which will have a more tender and juicy inside, but because less surface is exposed to heat during cooking, they pack less flavor. Also, most modern ... Read more -
equipment
The choice of utensils depends on which recipe method you follow. For example, if you're simmering veal scallops in wine, use a non-stick skillet, but if you're deglazing, stainless steel or copper pans are a much better choice. -
serving
Traditional side dishes include Roman green peas (piselli alla Romana) and sautéed spinach. Still, you can serve it with any kind of sautéed, boiled, and grilled vegetables, potatoes, mashed potatoes, or a salad.
Recipe variations
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Italian Academy of Cuisine's Saltimbocca alla Romana
Ready in 15minPublished by the Italian Academy of Cuisine, this version is considered to be the go-to saltimbocca recipe. With 8 veal scallops, the recipe is intended to be served as an entrée for 8 people but could also make a great meal in itself by adjusting the number of servings per person. Also, for a more substantial meal, serve your Roman saltimbocca with a hefty portion of any vegetables of your choosing, whether boiled, grilled or even sautéed in butter, like the typical saltimbocca side dish piselli alla Romana (Roman green peas).
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Academia Barilla’s Saltimbocca alla Romana
Ready in 20minPublished by Academia Barilla, the first international center dedicated to the development and promotion of Italian gastronomic culture; this recipe uses the fortified Marsala secco wine for deglazing and suggests making the sauce with brown veal stock. Also, apart from the somewhat different preparation technique, in this recipe, the veal scallops are coated in flour before browning, which later results in a slightly thicker meat sauce.
Italian Academy of Cuisine's Saltimbocca alla Romana
PREP 10min
COOK 5min
READY IN 15min
Published by the Italian Academy of Cuisine, this version is considered to be the go-to saltimbocca recipe. With 8 veal scallops, the recipe is intended to be served as an entrée for 8 people but could also make a great meal in itself by adjusting the number of servings per person. Also, for a more substantial meal, serve your Roman saltimbocca with a hefty portion of any vegetables of your choosing, whether boiled, grilled or even sautéed in butter, like the typical saltimbocca side dish piselli alla Romana (Roman green peas).
Ingredients
8 veal scallops
4 slices of prosciutto
8 sage leaves
50g (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) butter
2 tbsp dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
Step 1/5
Start by gently flattening veal scallops with a meat mallet until very thin. Then, season with a bit of salt and a pinch of pepper, and top each scallop with half of a prosciutto slice and a single sage leaf. Finally, skewer them all together with a wooden toothpick,
Step 2/5
Melt the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan, and when it starts foaming, add your veal scallops.
Step 3/5
Allow the meat to brown on both sides over high heat for only a minute or two, slightly less on the prosciutto and sage side. When done, remove the scallops from the pan and arrange them on a warmed serving platter.
Step 4/5
To deglaze the pan, pour in a little white wine and add a dab of butter. When the butter completely melts, pour the resulting sauce over veal scallops.
Step 5/5
Serve your saltimbocca immediately.
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