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Recipe Detail Page
Saltimbocca
Winter 2016
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Sauté time: 2 minutes per saltimbocca
Reduction time: 10 minutes
This is chef-style, à la minute cooking which can be a deliciously quick family dinner or sophisticated company fare—your choice! Enjoy with potatoes, pasta, polenta or rice, as there is plenty of sauce.
Makes 6 pieces saltimbocca, from 3 to 6 servings
6 pieces scaloppini-cut veal, each about 2 oz (60 g)
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh sage leaves or rubbed sage
6 thin slices prosciutto
¼ cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour, divided
3 to 4 tbsp (45 to 60 mL) unsalted butter
2½ to 3 cups (625 to 750 mL) unsalted or reduced-salt veal or chicken stock or broth
¼ cup (60 mL) dry red or white wine
¼ cup (60 mL) Glace de Veau (recipe follows)
Few grindings of black pepper
6 sprigs fresh sage or parsley
1 Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on work surface. If veal is quite moist, pat dry with paper towels. Lightly pound meat with the flat side of a meat pounder; do not pound to enlarge, just tenderize!
2 Lay 1 slice of veal flat; sprinkle with a pinch or 2 of sage. Top with a piece of prosciutto. Using toothpicks, attach together at top and bottom. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Repeat for each scaloppini.
3 When ready to serve, set aside 2 tbsp (30 mL) flour. Using remainder, very lightly flour meat packets on both sides, shaking off and discarding excess. Have all remaining ingredients measured and place by the side of the stove.
4 Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When very hot and bubbly, work in batches and add veal to pan, beginning with veal-side down. Sauté 1 minute per side; do not overcook! Keep warm while sautéing more. Use more butter as needed.
5 When all veal is browned and removed from pan, sprinkle in reserved flour. Slowly pour in broth and wine while stirring constantly with a whisk (if necessary, add in batches as reduction occurs). Boil gently for 8 to 10 minutes or until reduced to half the volume; stir in glace. Add black pepper to taste, however, since prosciutto is quite salty, refrain from adding salt unless absolutely necessary.
6 Place veal, prosciutto-side up, on warmed serving plates. Spoon some of sauce over veal. Garnish veal with a small sprig of fresh sage or chopped fresh parsley. Serve right away accompanied by potatoes and colourful vegetables, and passing remaining sauce.
Makes 6 pieces saltimbocca, from 3 to 6 servings
GLACE DE VEAU
This classic reduction from veal bones is worth the effort, especially in pan sauces, as it turns “gravy” into a silky, glistening professional sauce—like in the Saltimbocca recipe that follows. Portion it into silicone muffin liner cups, freeze and then stack, still in the silicone cups, to pop out like ice cubes as needed for use in future recipes.
5 lbs (2.2 kg) veal bones
2 large yellow cooking onions
1 to 2 large carrots
2 large stalks celery
Several large sprigs fresh parsley
Several large sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
5 black peppercorns
14 cups (3.5 L) water
1 Heat oven to 450°F (230°C).
2 Place bones in a shallow pan and roast for 30 minutes. Turn bones and roast another 30 minutes or until richly browned.
3 Meanwhile, coarsely chop onions, carrot and celery. When bones have roasted for an hour, bring out of oven. Skim off most of the fat in the pan; discard. Scatter vegetables over top of bones. Return to oven for 30 minutes.
4 Place bones and vegetables in a large pasta pot or stockpot. Pour off and discard any fat in roasting pan. Pour 2 to 3 cups (500 to 750 mL)water into roasting pan; stir to get up all the browned bits from pan bottom. Add to bones.
5 Add parsley, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns to pot plus remaining water to generously cover all. Place over medium-high heat; when just beginning to simmer, turn down heat so stock just simmers. Do not let stock boil or it becomes cloudy.
6 Cover pot but allow venting of steam. As simmering time progresses, it may be necessary to reduce heat even further to as low as possible. Add additional water if needed to keep bones continuously covered with liquid as stock simmers for 8 hours.
7 Remove bones and all solids; discard. Strain stock; there should be about 8 cups (2 L). Cover and chill overnight; then remove fat on topand discard it.
8 Again pour stock through a fine strainer into a large saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, uncovered, over medium to medium-high heat,adjusting as needed to maintain the slow boil. Cook for 50 to 65 minutes until reduced to about 2 cups (500 mL).
9 Pour into a container for storage; cool and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze.
Makes about 2 cups (500 mL)
