The character Bruno in The Food of Love describes the Saltimbocca meal as a proper Roman dish.

It’s basically veal, prosciutto, and fresh sage leaves dipped in flour, salt and pepper and fried. A sauce is made out of Marsala wine, butter, lemon, and the juices of the fried veal.

The recipe calls for pounding the veal with a rolling pin to thin it out. So, I went out and bought a rolling pin and you should have seen and heard me banging away on the piece of meat. Oh, the noise I made – my poor neighbors below! I’m surprised that no one pressed my doorbell to complain.

I’ve since found out that I could save myself the trouble (and noise) by simply buying veal scallopini, which are already thinly sliced veal and therefore causes no need to abuse the meat (or my kitchen counter).

It may be a proper Roman dish, but it is also a simple one to make.

Paz

Saltimbocca

For two, you need 4 slices of veal. Wrap them in waxed paper and beat them until very thin with a rolling pin. Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each one, then a couple of fresh sage leaves. Traditionally you should hold this together with a toothpick, but I find it’s easier to just fold the veal over and bang it all into place with the same rolling pin…. Dip them in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper and maybe a few chile flakes. Then you just fry them for a minute or so on each side. Remove & keep warm. Pour a glass of white wine or marsala into the juices and reduce quickly. Add some butter and a squeeze of lemon before pouring over the meat.

Added notation: It’s really good if you take another half-dozen sage leaves and fry them in a little oil that’s VERY HOT until they go transparent. Take the leaves out of the pan and put them on some papertowels to soak up the excess oil. Sprinkle a little salt on them; they’ll be crispy, which is nicer than raw sage leaves, which are a bit leathery. Serve them as a side dish or garnish to the meat.