Saltimboca Alla Romana

Saltimboca Alla Romana

 (Veal cutlets with sage, Roman style)

Makes 4 servings

(Italy)

In the Italian language Saltimboca literally means  to "jump in  the mouth", this is the classic Roman version consisting of prosciutto ham  and fresh sage  leaves sandwiched between two very thinly sliced and pounded veal scaloppini sauteed in butter  and served  in a rich Marsala sauce.

Ingredients

1 1/3 pounds veal scaloppini (thinly sliced veal)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ pound thinly sliced prosciutto ham

8 fresh sage leaves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups of chicken stock reduced to 1 cup

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup dry Marsala or white wine

juice of ½ lemon

Flour for dredging

Preparation

1.  Pound the veal scaloppini slightly between sheets of plastic  wrap or in a 1 gallon resealable plastic  bag to a uniform thickness of 1/8-inch, season with salt and pepper.  

2.  Layout half of the veal scallopinis on a clean,  flat work surface and layer each of the scallopini with 1 thin slice of prosciutto, folding the prosciutto to fit on the scallopini, then place 1 or 2 whole sage leaves on top of the prosciutto and  finish by placing another scallopini on top of the sage leaf(s), use toothpicks, if necessary,  as skewers to hold the veal packages together.

3.  Set up a dredging station by placing about 1 cup of flour on  a  flat dish and, one by one, dredge each veal package in the flour and shake off excess placing the dredged packages on another plate. 

4.  Heat a large, heavy skill over medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the veal packages (a couple at a time) 2 to 3 minutes on one side and 1 to 2 minutes on the second side.   As each group of sautéed veal is completed, transfer to a warm platter or individual serving dishes (you may keep the cooked scallopini warm in a warm oven until all serving have been cooked) and repeat the sauté until all the veal stacks have been cooked.

5.  When the last of the veal has been sautéed and is being kept warm, reduce the heat to medium low.  Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and continue cooking the stock until reduced by half.  Add the wine, the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl until combined to form a sauce.  Bring sauce to a boil and cook until slightly thickened (if the sauce fails to thicken, compound a corn starch slurry consisting of 2 tablespoons of COLD water and 2 tablespoons of corn starch and add it to the sauce while stirring to thicken it).

6.  Remove the platter (or the individual serving plates) from the oven and pour the sauce over the scallopini and serve immediately sided by Spaghetti con Burro e Formaggio.

Vitello alla Parmigiano.

Vitello alla Parmigiano

(Veal Parmesan)

serves 4

(Italy)

Veal cutlet parmesan is an Italian restaurant staple, my version spices it up a little by adding the heat of red pepper flakes to traditional marinara sauce.  Notice this version is not layered as most homemade versions but is made restaurant style (single scallopini topped with sauce, parmesan, and Provolone rather than mozzarella).

Ingredients

8  2-ounce veal cutlets, scaloppini-ed (pounded to  1⁄8" thickness)

1⁄2 cup flour

4 eggs, beaten

1 1⁄2 cups Italian dried bread crumbs

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups spicy marinara sauce (yours or commercial marinara sauce simmered for 20 minutes with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon each dry basil and dry oregano, and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes)

8 slices provolone cheese (about 6 ounce)

3⁄4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper,  to taste

Preparation

1.  Pre-heat the broiler of an  oven to broil placing the oven rack 10" from the heating element. 

2.  Season the pounded veal cutlets lightly with salt and pepper.

3.  Build a breading station by placing flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes and working with one scaloppini at a time, dredge it in the flour, the eggs, and the bread crumbs and transfer the  breaded scallopini to a dish.

4.  In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Fry the breaded scallopini,  2 at a time,  turning once with tongs, until golden brown, about 3 minutes; wiping out the frying  pan and adding fresh oil  between.  Either transfer scallopini to large baking platter or to individual, oven proof plates. 

5.  Once all the scaloppini have been fried and plated, top each scallopini with 1⁄3 cup of the marinara sauce, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of Parmesan, and one or more  slices of cheese.  

6.  Place the plated and topped scallopini under the broiler until  the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes.  Dress each plate with some of the parsley and serve immediately.