Veal saltimbocca, which literally translates as “jumps in the mouth,” hails from Rome. It is rather simple, but simplicity is hard to achieve. In the late 1960s, when I worked in Italian restaurants to help pay for my college tuition, veal saltimbocca was always on the menu but never tasted like it did in Rome. The important flavor ingredients here are the prosciutto and the fresh sage. The early immigrants were curing hams into prosciutto at home, which eventually developed into formal businesses, such as the Volpi & Co. in St. Louis, now known as Volpi Foods. In those days, fresh herbs were hard to find—unless you were Italian and grew them at home. By the time I opened Felidia in the 1980s, fresh herbs were coming to the supermarkets, and by the 1990s, Prosciutto di Parma began crossing the ocean, so now the saltimbocca has regained its true flavors. So, unless you use fresh sage, skip it.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　8 slices veal scaloppini (about 1 1/2 pounds)

　　8 slices prosciutto (about 3 ounces)

　　12 large fresh sage leaves

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

　　2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, stems removed

　　3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

　　Flour, for dredging

　　5 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　3/4 cup dry white wine

　　1 cup chicken stock (see page 40)

　　

Step 1

Pound the veal to an even 1/4-inch thickness with a meat mallet. Cover each piece of veal with a slice of prosciutto, and lightly pound with the back of a knife, scoring the prosciutto so it is embedded in the veal. With a toothpick, pin a sage leaf onto each piece of veal.

　　

Step 2

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the crushed garlic; once the garlic is sizzling, add the spinach and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover, and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Uncover, and cook away any excess liquid, about 3 minutes more. Remove the spinach from the pan, and keep warm while you cook the veal.

　　

Step 3

Lightly flour the veal scaloppini. Wipe out the skillet, then, over medium-low heat, heat 2 tablespoons butter with the remaining olive oil. When melted, add the veal to the skillet, prosciutto-sage side down. Lightly brown both sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove the veal to a plate.

　　

Step 4

Wipe out the skillet, and set over medium-high flame. Toss in the remaining butter. When melted, add the remaining sage leaves. Once the sage is sizzling, pour in the wine. Bring to a boil, then add the stock and the remaining salt. Boil until the liquid has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Return the veal to the pan, and simmer until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the toothpicks, and serve over the spinach.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.