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Saltimbocca alla Romana
Created by Chef Graziella
Thin veal escalopes crowned with prosciutto and sage, seared quickly in butter until the meat is tender and the ham crisps at the edges. Roman cooking at its most direct and satisfying.
Saltimbocca means 'jump in the mouth,' and the name tells you everything. This is not subtle food. It is immediate, emphatic, and impossible to ignore. The sage perfumes the butter. The prosciutto crisps against the hot pan. The veal, pounded thin enough to cook in moments, remains tender and yielding beneath.
Rome claims this dish, though the Brescians will argue. I will not settle that quarrel here. What matters is that saltimbocca belongs to a tradition of quick cooking that respects the ingredient rather than transforming it. The veal is not braised into submission. It is barely cooked at all, seared just long enough to turn opaque, then finished with wine and butter.
There are three ingredients that matter: veal, prosciutto, sage. The butter is a cooking medium, the wine a finishing touch. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. No garlic. No tomato. No herbs beyond the sage. This is not a dish that needs anything more.
Ingredients
veal escalopes
Quantity
8 (about 3 ounces each)
pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
prosciutto di Parma
Quantity
8 thin slices
fresh sage leaves
Quantity
16
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| veal escalopespounded to 1/4-inch thickness | 8 (about 3 ounces each) |
| prosciutto di Parma | 8 thin slices |
| fresh sage leaves | 16 |
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