Pork Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca in Italian translates to “Jumps in the mouth”, so it has to be good! Juicy pork, salty prosciutto, creamy provolone and pungent sage all add up to a mouth-watering experience. This dish was always a favorite in the Hartstone Inn restaurant, prepared with either pork, chicken or veal. It also made it onto the menu in Tuscany during our Foodie trips to Italy. It really is a pretty simple dish to recreate at home and the stuffed pork portions freeze well, so make up a bunch and stock up your freezer. Another great option for a quick “last minute sauce” is a Sage-Compound Butter; softened unsalted butter, cooled-sautéed minced onions, fresh sage, salt and pepper. Roll the prepared butter in parchment paper, refrigerate until firm, slice and keep in the freezer in a ziplock bag until needed.

Pork Saltimbocca

Recipe by Michael SalmonCourse: EntreesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This dish can be prepared with chicken breast or veal cutlet as well, following the same procedures as with the pork.

Ingredients

Four 5-ounce pork cutlets
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
6 ounces thinly sliced provolone or fontina cheese
10 fresh sage leaves
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 batch Sage Cream (recipe below)
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped Italian parsley
Sage Cream
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 small yellow onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 small bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
2 whole fresh sage leaves

Directions

Place a pork cutlet between two 12-inch pieces of plastic wrap. Gently pound out the pork to about 1/8-inch thick with a meat mallet. Be careful not to rip holes into the pork by pounding it too thin in areas. Continue with the remaining cutlets.
Remove the top sheet of plastic from the cutlets and season with salt and pepper. Divide the prosciutto and provolone or fontina cheese into 6 stacks, reserving 2 stacks for garnish. Top the remaining 4 stacks with a whole sage leaf. Place the stacks over half of each pounded pork cutlet, leaving a 1/2-inch strip of pork exposed around the edge. Fold the empty half of the pork over the prosciutto and cheese, making sure that the top reaches the exposed pork edge along the bottom. With the back of a large knife, gently pound the edges of the pork pouch to seal the edges. The pork can be prepared to this stage hours in advance, covered and refrigerated until just before serving.
Shortly before serving, prepare the Sage Cream. Finely slice the reserved 2 stacks of prosciutto and cheese, and with your fingertips, gently mix together. Reserve until serving.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat each side of the pork with flour, shaking off the excess. When the oil is hot, place the stuffed pork pouches in the sauté pan. Cook until lightly browned on the first side, about 3 minutes, and then gently flip over with a spatula and lightly brown for another 3 minutes on the other side.
To serve, place the pork on the plate and ladle some of the Sage Cream on top. Place 1/4 of the sliced prosciutto and cheese on top of the pork in a small mound. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and garnish with a fresh sage leaf.
Serve with starch and seasonal vegetables of your choice.
Sage Cream
Dice the butter and bring to room temperature.
Heat the oil in a small 2-quart saucepan. Chop the onions finely. Sauté the onions over medium heat for 2 minutes but do not allow them to brown. Deglaze with the white wine and vinegar. Add the bay leaf and reduce over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Again, do not brown. Add the heavy cream and reduce the mixture by half, whisking occasionally.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter until well incorporated. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, discarding the solids. Season with salt and white pepper.