This is traditionally made with veal, although in the UK it
is often made with pork. However, now that British veal is so readily
available, and so delicious, I have no qualms about going down the veal route.
Most butchers and a lot of supermarkets now sell it – I got mine from Ocado and very delicious it was. This is quite a simple recipe
and is good for a dinner party as it can be prepared way in advance – and
actually the preparation isn’t that hard anyway. I served this with sprouting
broccoli tossed in a little anchovy and garlic sauce, spinach and new potatoes.
Serves 4
8 small or 4 large veal escalopes
8 slices of Parma ham
8 large sage leaves (or 16 small)
8 toothpicks
Olive oil
Wine glass of Marsala
If the escalopes are thick beat them out between two sheets
of greaseproof paper or cling film until 5mm thick. Now the idea is to cover
each escalope with Parma ham so, depending on the size of your escalopes use
the appropriate amount of Parma ham. Then lay 1 or 2 (depending on size) sage
leaves on top and secure the whole thing with a cocktail stick. They should
then look like this:
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan until moderately hot. Put the escalopes in Parma ham side down and cook for a couple of minutes, then turn over and cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked through. Put the escalopes onto a warm plate, and deglaze the pan with the Madeira, bubbling it well until syrupy. Serve the Saltimbocca immediately, drizzled with the sauce, and with whatever vegetables you fancy.
