Veal Saltimbocca

 

One of the things I love about summer is all the fresh herbs I grow in pots in my backyard that allow me to season many of my favorite dishes. As you can see from the photo above my sage plants are at their peak, full with plentiful bright leaves.  Sage leaves have a strong distinctive flavor and aroma and a little bit goes a long way to use in soups, stews, stuffings, and sauces.   The leaves can be added to a dish fresh, either whole or chopped. The sage leaves also dry well for future use or they can be frozen whole in an air tight freezer bag.  I also like to sprinkle some sage leaves or stems on my barbecue coals when cooking as they will impart a wonderful aroma on the food.

This dish originated in Rome, Italy and the Italian word "saltimbocca" literally translates as "jumps in the mouth."   Saltimbocca bursts with the flavor of veal, sage, prosciutto, white wine and butter. If you don't like veal, you can use pork or chicken cutlets.

Veal Saltimbocca

8 slices prosciutto
8 veal cutlets, thinly sliced and pounded
flour spread on a plate for dredging
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
16 large sage leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place one slice of prosciutto on each veal cutlet and pound in lightly with a meat tenderizer.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Dredge both sides of the cutlet in flour to coat, shaking off any excess. Place them in the pan, prosciutto side down, and cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
3. Drain oil from pan, place back over heat and add butter. When butter is melted add sage and saute for one minute, trying to keep the leaves intact, if possible. Remove the leaves to a dish.
4. Add the white wine and scrape loose any bits from bottom of the pan, then add the chicken broth and salt and pepper.
5. Place the cutlets back in the pan, prosciutto side up and cook until sauce is reduced by half and the cutlets are heated through.
6. Transfer veal to serving plates, place reserved leaves on top of each cutlet and spoon sauce over top and serve.

If you do not have fresh sage leaves you can use dried sage, adding it to the butter to taste, approximately two teaspoons.

I served my veal saltimbocca with roasted asparagus sprinkled with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and a slice of fried eggplant. There were many happy smiles around my table as we dined on one of our favorite meals!

I'm joining the "Foodie Friday" event on Michael's blog "Designs With Gollum." Please visit Michael's blog and enjoy a visual feast.