You are probably asking, “Wait, pork? Isn’t this dish usually veal saltimbocca?” The answer would be, “Yes, it usually is!” However, two things happened to me when I decided I wanted to make saltimbocca. One was that the store did not have the veal I wanted and two was that I really had a taste for saltimbocca.
I had the Fontina and the prosciutto already at my house. Already I had it in my head that I was going to make saltimbocca and then I wanted it. I am sure that this has happened to all of you. Yet, I went to the store and they did not have the veal I wanted. So, instead of saying, “Oh, great, now I can’t make it!” I thought for a moment. I looked around the meat section and I was able to find some really great thin cut pork chops.
Then it came to me, “Why not Pork?” Pork chops is delicious with prosciutto, let’s face it, they are in the same family. Fontina is great with anything and sage is beautiful with pork chops as well. That was it, I grabbed the pork and didn’t look back. Can I just tell you how glad I was. I may even have liked this better than the original!
What is Saltimbocca?
Traditionally saltimbocca is an Italian dish, (classically alla Romana-meaning from Rome), of veal wrapped in prosciutto with sage. Now, like so many other dishes over the years it has evolved and grown and become many things. Now a days you can see chicken saltimbocca and even pork, yes pork saltimbocca. You can find it with Fontina cheese or traditionally without. You can find the meat wrapped or even now stuffed with the rest of the ingredients. This is what I love the most about cooking is that you can take something “traditional” and flip it on its head and make it into something else that is just as wonderful as the classic. Hey, sometimes even more wonderful than the classic.
What to serve with your Saltimbocca?
There are many options on this. You can keep it super simple and just do a quick and easy salad with some romaine, arugula, grape tomatoes and red wine vinegar and oil. Or you can even go simpler and just do some arugula with lemon and salt and pepper. If you want more to it, I love some roasted or grilled asparagus on the side for this. Keep it simple and light.
If you want to really bulk it up for the family, you can do some great oven roasted potatoes along with the asparagus and then the meal is complete. If you are making the veal or the chicken saltimbocca, I would even say you can go with a thin pasta alio olio. Even a spaghetti with light lemon cream sauce would be delicous.
Chef’s Tips
This is a pretty straight forward recipe, so not too many tips. The biggest ones would be that since it is so simple and straight forward, make sure you are using the finest ingredients that you can get. For example, I love prosciutto di parma for this and good quality fontina cheese. As well as make sure you are using fresh sage and a white wine that you love to drink.
Watch the heat on the pan for this as well as it is easy to burn quickly if it is too hot. Yet, if the pan is not hot enough, you won’t get the crunch in the prosciutto that you are looking for. So, just watch the heat and adjust as needed.
Pork Saltimbocca
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Eight- 3-ounce boneless pork loin chops pounded 1/4 inch thick and trimmed of any excess fat
- 3 oz Fontina cheese sliced very thin or shredded
- 8 thin slices of prosciutto di Parma
- 8-10 sage leaves depending on size- if they are very small you may want to use two per piece
- All purpose flour for dusting
- extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a small saute pan,add the white wine and cook down by at least 1/2. Then melt the butter over moderately low heat. Whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper; keep warm;(not hot or else your sauce will break).
- Season the pork with salt and black pepper. Place 1 slice or a small amount of shredded Fontina cheese on the top of the pork. Then 1 slice of prosciutto on each chop, folding the slices to fit. Make sure it is secure so that the cheese does not leak out. Press the sage leaves onto the prosciutto, then dust the pork with flour and get rid of any access. You want a very thin coating on the top.
- In a very large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Carefully add the pork, prosciutto side down, and press with a spatula. Cook over high heat until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the pork and cook until barely pink throughout, about 2-3 minutes longer. Transfer the saltimbocca to a serving platter and tent with foil. Repeat with any of the remaining pork chops.
- Drizzle the lemon butter over the meat and serve right away. ENJOY!
