Italy – Saltimbocca

by Umer Butt

ABOUT THE DISH

Saltimbocca is an Italian classic dish which is basically chicken and prosciutto wrapped together and then cooked in a sauce of wine and garlic. It is one of the classic ways of cooking your chicken in Italy as they are huge fans of using wine in their dishes. This dish is a main course and its flavors are out of this world. This dish has many variations but the one which is the most famous is the original one containing veal. The veal is also wrapped with prosciutto and then cooked in white wine and butter. The problem is that it is sometimes hard to find the right piece of cut of the veal which is required for this dish so people tend to use chicken instead which gives the same amount of pleasure to the mouth. It is a very popular dish among all the people and also very easy to make at home as well. Families love to make it for each other and have a good time while enjoying it with wine. Italy is famous for its cuisines and dish is no shy of portraying it.

HISTORY/ORIGIN

The origin of Saltimbocca is quite a mystery. The first known recipe of this dish was found in the late 19th century in a influential book written by an famous chef of that time Pellegrino Artusi. He said he ate this dish in Rome for the first time and fell in love with it instantly. Later a person named Livio Jannattoni wrote a thesis in which he claimed that this dishes origin is not Rome but the region of Brescia. After this people started to pick up this dish and it became a part of Italian cuisines history and now it is one of the most popular dishes out there in all of Italy. It is eaten everywhere and enjoyed the same amount.

MEANING OF THE NAME

Saltimbocca is an Italian word and its meaning in English is “jump to the mouth“. It is called this not because it actually jumps into the mouth but due to its flavor. Its flavor is impeccable and it makes a person eat it again and again. Some people take small bites of the chicken on purpose to savor every inch of its flavor. This shows how great this dish really is.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE THIS DISH

• Chicken Breasts

• Prosciutto

• Garlic 2 Cloves

• Flour 1 Cup

• Unsalted Butter 1 1/2 tbsps.

• Olive Oil 2 Tbsps.

• Fresh Sage 1 bunch

• White Wine 1 Cup
• Brodo 2 Cups

• Salt

• Pepper

STEPS TO MAKE THIS DISH

• Firstly we will prepare our chicken so for that take chicken breasts and season them with salt and pepper.
• Once nicely seasoned take prosciutto and place it on the chicken.

• Roll the chicken so that it becomes roll type shape

• Take flour in a separate bowl, also add some salt in it and coat the chicken with it and set it aside for later cooking.

• Take a pan and add the given amount of olive oil and butter in it and let it heat.
• Take the sage leaves and place them in the pan so that they crisp up.

• Once crisped take them out and set it aside.

• Now add your chicken roll in the pan to just sear on both sides.

• Once seared take it out we will finish cooking it in the sauce.
• Now add butter in the pan and add some garlic cloves also.

• Cook the garlic until brown color is obtained and then add some white wine.

• Also add the Brodo stock in the pan.

• Reduce the white wine over high heat and place your chicken roll inside it.
• Cook the chicken in the sauce properly.

• Once cooked take out the chicken and plate up your dish.
• Put some sauce on the plate and place your chicken on the sauce and put your bay leaves on the chicken
• Your dish is ready to serve.
• Enjoy

TIME REQUIRED

• PREPERATION TIME : 10 minutes
• COOKING TIME : 30 minutes
• TOTAL TIME : 40 minutes
• YIELDS : 2-3 servings

NUTRITION FACTS

• Calories  582
• Protein  39g
• Cholesterol  149mg
• Total Fat  43g
• Total Carbohydrates  8.2g
• Dietary Fiber  1g
• Sodium  1079,9mg

MY OPINION

As simple as this dish is to make it totally deserves the respect. It is rich in flavor and the sauce which is served alongside it is the real killer of this dish. It is one of the best looking dish as well and really if you want to spend your money well you should try this. What other place to try this then Italy itself because the original taste here is something else and people will have a good time I assure you that.