Ciao, friends! Did you know that the term “Saltimbocca” translates to “jumps in the mouth”? Yeah. It’s that good.
Traditional saltimbocca has three basic ingredients; prosciutto, veal, and sage. You may also see it called Saltimbocca alla Romana which basically just means it’s a classic Roman dish. It almost doesn’t need a written recipe because it’s so simple. Just wrap the sage on the veal with prosciutto and cook in on a frying pan with some olive oil and lemon. Bam. That’s it. Dunzo. I guess I gave it away so you really don’t have to scroll down, huh? Oops.
A lot of recipes call for you to dredge the veal in flour before cooking. Frankly, I don’t think that’s necessary. Why muddle up the integrity of the prosciutto and earthy sage with sticky flour? A cleaner version of this Italian classic is the way to go.
Although this recipe calls for veal as your protein, feel free to switch it up. You can use thin chicken breast instead.
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- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1/5pound prosciutto di Parmasliced thinly (about 4 long strips)
- 1pound veal cutletsabout 4 cutlets
- 8whole leaves fresh sage
- 1tbsp lemon juicesave slices for plating
- Begin by placing two large sage leaves on each veal cutlet. Then, tear long strips of prosciutto to wrap around leaf-covered veal.
- Heat olive oil in a stove-top pan. Place cutlets in the pan and cook on medium-high heat.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice during cooking. Add zest if you like (it's so underrated, but so delicious!).
- Cook on one side until prosciutto is crispy and veal is cooked. Then flip and repeat on reverse side. About 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your veal cutlet.
- Plate veal on lemon slices and top with cracked pepper (omit for AIP).
Butternut squash risotto is a perfect side dish. The sweetness of the butternut squash cuts the salty savory veal. Plus, you can tie in the flavors by adding sage to the risotto too.
Here’s what you do.
- Cube raw butternut squash. Add to food processor and pulse until you get rice-like bits.
- Add squash ‘rice’ to stove-top pan with 1 tbsp olive oil or ghee. Add 1/4 tsp chopped sage and salt to taste.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until soft.
Consider that a little bonus recipe. 
Time to let this dish jump in your mouth. Mangia!