Essentially being Italian, this is very simple, and is no more than a veal fillet, with sage, and prosciutto, gently fried in butter, with a dash of Marsala wine added. Thats all it is.
Now, If I was being all uber traditional, I should insist that Saltimbocca can only be made with Veal (the meat from a young calf), and I do not doubt that is the best way of eating it.
However the real world being what it is, we do not always have easy access (or the budget) to Veal throughout the year, but to my mind, it should not mean that I deny myself this delicious dish. So instead, in this particular example we used tender pork loins as an alternative (you could use Chicken fillet, equally to excellent effect).
Obviously it tastes quite different, but with the pork being quite "fatty" it holds up very well to the strong flavours of the sage, and the salty prosciutto. And in my opinion it is not far from the veal version when finished.
For some reason our family, have always served this with a cream sauce, which is what I have presented here. It basically consists of adding the double cream once the meat is fried, and to gently simmer the cream with the meat, along with some extra sage leaves. We also add the Marsala wine, with the cream. Provided you use double cream, do not heat it crazily fast, you will not have any issues with splitting sauces.
I should add, Marsala wine, is commonly available now, but a sweet Sherry, can act as a substitute.
INGREDIENTS:
(serves 4)
4 pork loin fillets,
150ml Double Cream,
fresh sage, around 8 leaves
2 tablespoons of marsala wine
knob of butter
salt and pepper to season
METHOD:
- Take some pork loin fillets or similar, trim off as much fat as you like, and gently "hammer" so they are quite flat and of uniform thickness, season well with salt and pepper, both sides.
-Next onto the pork, add a leaf or two of sage, and onto that apply a slice of the prosciutto, give it a pat so that it "sticks" to the surface.
-Into a hot frying pan, on a medium high heat, add some butter, and gently put the pork loins in, so that the prosciutto is face down onto the cooking surface first, cook for a few minutes until golden, then gently turn them over.
-Once the meat has cooked, add the double cream, and add the extra sage leaves, and add the marsala wine. Cook for a few more minutes, then remove the meat. At this point increase the heat slightly and reduce the cream sauce, until it thickens to a consistency your happy with. Serve with the meat, but avoid pouring it over.
We had this with fried mushrooms, just simply cooked with garlic and parsley, but sauteed rosemary potatoes are another excellent accompaniement.
Enjoy!!
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