I am starting to realize that while Italian classics are, well, classics, the Italian American versions can also be, well, American classics.
I am talking about Veal Saltimbocca. It seems every time I make it, it's a little different, but two ingredients are a must. Prosciutto and sage, oh, and veal of course. I have used chicken breasts and have even done a version with pork cutlets. Fresh pork with cured pork, what's not to love?
Our Shop-Rite had Prosciutto de Parma on sale (for the holidays) at $9.99 a pound. I could not pass that up, and you should not also. I replaced the Canadian bacon with it for Eggs Benedict the other morning, I will add it in a grilled cheese for tomorrow and tonight it was the star of the show. A splurge I know but it is the holidays. Come January, we all streamline our lives.
Unless your butcher will pound the meat for you, you will have to pound the veal cutlets into slices so thin you should see your hand when you hold it up. Most veal scaloppine comes from the leg and can be on the tough side.
My cutlets were more long than round so I folded them in half. I could have rolled them but I really wanted the easiest version (we were out all day and I was pooped). I was able to find enough sage under it's final days bathed in ice. Pull out that box of toothpicks and get pounding.
Here's the deal.....
You take one scaloppine, place a piece of prosciutto on top, a sage leaf, fold in half and toothpick through both sides. Season with salt & pepper and dredge in flour, patting the excess off.
In a saute pan, heat a tablespoon of butter and olive oil until the butter has stopped foaming. Add the veal pieces in a single layer and saute on both sides until they get browned. Remove to a platter and repeat with the last of the veal.
Add a tablespoon of butter and pour in a 1/4 cup white wine and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Once the liquid has evaporated, add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and place the veal back into the pan, cover and simmer and the flour on the veal will thicken the sauce. Serve over a bed of herb & butter flavored angel hair pasta and a roasted vegetable.
Yum! Dinner is served. All in thirty minutes and one of the best veal dishes you could eat.