Saltimbocca alla Romana

Rome's most elegant quick dish: thin escalopes of veal each topped with a slice of prosciutto and a leaf of sage, pinned together, floured, and cooked in butter and white wine until tender, the name promising a morsel so good it 'jumps in the mouth'

Origin: Rome and Lazio, Italy

From the journey of Sage.

Saltimbocca alla romana is one of the jewels of the Roman trattoria, a dish of three ingredients and almost no technique that depends entirely on their quality and balance: thin veal, fine prosciutto, and fresh sage. The name, saltimbocca, means 'jumps in the mouth', a promise of how irresistible it is. The sage is not a garnish but a defining structural element, a whole leaf laid on each escalope so that its camphoraceous fragrance perfumes the meat and the buttery, winey pan juices. The dish is cooked in minutes and eaten at once, and its restraint is the whole point: nothing is breaded, nothing is sauced beyond the deglazing of the pan, and the sage, prosciutto, and veal are left to speak for themselves. It is Roman cooking at its most confident.

Ingredients

Saltimbocca

8 thin veal escalopes (about 600g total), gently flattened
8 slices prosciutto crudo
8 leaves fresh sage, plus a few extra to fry
3 tbsp plain flour, for dusting

Cooking

50 g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
120 ml dry white wine
0.5 tsp salt

Method

Lay the veal escalopes flat. On each, place a slice of prosciutto and a leaf of sage, then pin the three together with a cocktail stick threaded through as if taking a stitch, so the sage and ham stay put.
Dust the veal side (not the prosciutto side) lightly with flour, shaking off the excess.
Heat the butter and oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, lay the escalopes in prosciutto-side down and cook for about 2 minutes, until the ham is crisp.
Turn and cook the veal side for 1 to 2 minutes more, until just cooked through and lightly golden. Lift onto a warm plate.
Pour the white wine into the hot pan and let it bubble for a minute, scraping up the bits, until slightly syrupy. Drop in a few extra sage leaves to crisp, and season with the salt.
Spoon the pan sauce and crisp sage over the saltimbocca and serve at once, removing the cocktail sticks.

Notes

Veal is traditional, but the same method works beautifully with thin pork or chicken escalopes, or with turkey. The three components must each be good: fresh sage, fine prosciutto, and tender meat. Some Roman cooks roll the escalopes (saltimbocca arrotolati), but the flat version is the classic. Do not skip deglazing the pan with wine; the buttery, sage-scented juices are half the pleasure.

The Gastrographer

Name: Saltimbocca alla Romana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 8 thin veal escalopes (about 600g total), gently flattened; 8 slices prosciutto crudo; 8 leaves fresh sage, plus a few extra to fry; 3 tbsp plain flour, for dusting; 50 g butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; 120 ml dry white wine; 0.5 tsp salt

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control