You surely know the Saltimbocca alla romana, the typical second course of Roman cuisine known worldwide. A quick, economical, and delicious dish to prepare at home. Made with veal, prosciutto, preferably not too salty, sage, butter, flour, and white wine. Very few ingredients to create a fragrant and tasty dish that both adults and kids enjoy, perfect for a family dinner or to serve a classic of Italian cuisine.
This recipe has been on the blog for years, I’ve changed the photo several times but only today (and who knows if this will last) I am truly satisfied with the result achieved with this shot. Taking advantage of the preparation of Saltimbocca alla romana I made the video recipe to show you the main steps clearly highlighted. I hope to be helpful if you want to prepare this delicious and fragrant Italian meat dish with sage and prosciutto.
This is one of the simplest recipes I know and at the same time it is the one I like the most, the scent of sage in the preparations I really love and the prosciutto pairs perfectly with it. Try the Saltimbocca alla romana following this easy recipe and then let me know in the comments if you make them the way I do!
My father, as long as we lived together, often made them and it was one of the dishes that couldn’t be missing from the weekly menu. As an adult, I still prepare them and every time I enjoy them recalling when I was little and would sit at the table after a day at school or in the evening after doing homework and going out with friends. There is also a version of the Saltimbocca alla marchigiana where beef eye round is used, and beyond the prosciutto a slice of bacon is added. We from Marche are such gourmands.
The Rolled Saltimbocca are also common with the same ingredients but in a rolled version to be cooked in a pan with the same flavors and aromas. I think I will try this version, even just to take some photos to offer you a variant of this recipe to amaze your guests or your family.
I chose to use Parma ham DOP, with its unmistakable sweetness and unique tenderness that melts in your mouth. Parma ham is one of Italy’s excellences, a symbol of culinary made in Italy, aged for a minimum of 24 months, it’s a guarantee of success for many recipes. For this Roman Saltimbocca recipe, I chose this ingredient to pair with the scent of sage, the hot melted butter in a pan, and the white table wine with which we’ll cook the veal slices.
Before moving on to the recipe for Roman Saltimbocca, I’d like to remind you that I wait for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day, an unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory note all together.
Below you’ll also find other typical recipes of Italian cuisine and beyond, from Canederli with speck from Trentino to Homemade Romagna piadina without lard. Then we’ll cross the border to Germany to enjoy Bretzel and Ofenkartoffeln, Bavarian potatoes in foil!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 967.56 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 19.82 (g) of which sugars 0.59 (g)
- Proteins 68.70 (g)
- Fat 63.61 (g) of which saturated 28.11 (g)of which unsaturated 31.50 (g)
- Fibers 3.58 (g)
- Sodium 1,777.44 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 350 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Roman Saltimbocca
- 4 slices veal (not too small)
- 10 leaves sage
- 5.3 oz DOP Prosciutto, from Parma
- 2.8 tbsp butter
- 3.4 tbsp white wine
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- as needed flour
Tools to prepare Roman Saltimbocca
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Meat Tenderizer
- 1 Pan
- 1 Spoon
- 10 Toothpicks
- 2 Plates
Recipe Steps for the typical Roman second course: Roman Saltimbocca
We begin preparing this Roman meat second course by gathering all the necessary ingredients and placing them on a work surface. Arrange the veal slices on a plate, pour the flour into a plate, take the Parma ham and sage leaves out of the fridge.
Let’s also prepare the necessary tools for the preparation of the recipe for Roman Saltimbocca: the cutting board, the meat tenderizer, the toothpicks, the pan, and the spoon. Pour the white wine into a glass and place it on the kitchen counter near the salt and pepper. Now we can proceed.
Place one slice of meat at a time on the cutting board and use the meat tenderizer to thin its surface. Then place one or more slices of prosciutto on each meat slice, in my case two slices of prosciutto were necessary because the veal slices were quite large. Place the sage leaves and secure them using toothpicks. Depending on the size of the meat, you will place two to three or four sage leaves on top of the prosciutto.
If you have doubts you can watch the video recipe above the ingredient list to better understand this step. Then pass the Saltimbocca alla romana in the plate with flour, you should flour only the bottom side please.
Place the pan on the stovetop with medium-low heat and let the butter melt. We will then add the meat slices and brown only the bottom side, which is the floured side. With a spoon, we will moisten the top with the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
When the bottom of the Saltimbocca is browned we can add the half glass of white wine, about 50 ml, continuing the cooking until complete evaporation of this ingredient which will provide the final touch to this recipe. It will take about 5 to 6 minutes.
As you may have guessed, the cooking time of the veal slices is very short. I often use this meat for evenings when I come home late from work and don’t have time to dedicate to longer recipes and with preparation and cooking times exceeding 30 minutes.
Serve the Saltimbocca with prosciutto and sage hot and with the cooking sauce which is perfect for dipping bread! My friend Veronica really enjoyed the lunch with the Roman Saltimbocca I prepared for her on Tuesday, and she recommends trying them if you’ve never made them at home.
Wishing you all a good appetite and reminding you that I wait for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day!
Storage and Tips:
We can store the Saltimbocca in a container with a lid in the refrigerator for a couple of days after allowing them to cool completely at room temperature.
Tips to emphasize: do not flour the surface of the Saltimbocca, do not cook the meat over too high a flame, without turning it you risk that underneath it becomes too cooked and therefore also tough to chew. Do not add extra virgin olive oil, the butter is enough for cooking the meat, or if you really don’t feel like using 50 grams of butter, replace it immediately with oil.
Do not be stingy with prosciutto, the flavor and taste it gives to this dish can only be felt if you add the right amount, same goes for sage. You can choose not to eat it as I did or to devour even that as Veronica did. Choose a prosciutto that is not too salty, as recommended in the ingredient list a sweet type of prosciutto is preferred, in my case Parma DOP.
