This classic Roman veal dish is easy to prepare and great to serve for company. All you need are a few high-quality ingredients: veal escalopes, prosciutto, fresh sage, butter and olive oil. Check out this easy recipe!

A ‘jump in the mouth’. 

Saltimbocca is one of the most iconic Italian dishes and a symphony in the mouth. It is all about the combination of only a few high-quality ingredients: veal escalopes, prosciutto, fresh sage and white wine. These escalopes are quick and easy to prepare and a nice light meal as the meat used for it is very thin. Also, did you know that “Saltimbocca” loosely translates as ‘jump in the mouth”? So you can be very confident that your guests won’t be able to eat it fast enough and might also ask for some more.

Invite your friends to a very Roman dinner.

Prepare the escalopes before all your guest arrive and fry them only a few minutes before serving them with roasted vegetables, baked potatoes, a fresh mixed salad and bread, following a typical pasta dish from the Lazio region, such as pasta alla gricia or a simple and delicious carbonara.

Saltimbocca alla romana

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

• 8 slices prosciutto
• 8 veal escalopes, thinly sliced and pounded
• 8 sage leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place the veal escalopes on a chopping board, leaving a little space between them.
2. Cover the escalopes with clingfilm and, using a rolling pin, bash them out until they are about 5mm thick, then discard the clingfilm.
3. Season both sides of the veal with a little black pepper. There is no need to salt the veal as the prosciutto is quite salty.
4. Lay 1-2 pieces of prosciutto flat on each veal.
5. Then place 1 sage leaf on top and fix it with a toothpick.
6. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp butter and a drizzle of olive oil.
7. Add 2 escalopes at a time to the pan (or more if you are using a bigger pan).
8. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
9. At this point, sprinkle some white wine over the meat and let it evaporate, cooking on a gentle heat.
10. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the saltimbocca you have prepared.

A Roman classic: Saltimbocca alla romana was last modified: January 8th, 2020 by Dajana

Notes

*If you buy fresh escalopes at a butcher shop, ask the butcher to cut the escalopes extra thin. In this case you won't need to bash them, otherwise they might be too thin and fall apart.