Saltim Bocca alla Romana

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Exactly 9 months ago I was studying abroad in Rome, meandering through the streets of Via de Fienaroli, looking for good food to eat, and particularly, looking for a good cooking class. I had looked around a little bit online, found a couple that seemed nice, but very pricey, and conducted by foreign cooks who were living in Rome and claimed to have mastered the Italian cuisine. However, I did not know that the best cooking class was just around the block from my dorm building! After eating some OK pizza with a couple friends down the street from the building we were staying in, I stopped by the restaurant next door because it had a sign posted in the window, "Cooking Classes in Rome". I was curious, I was excited, could this be the cooking class I've been dreaming about? I went inside and inquired. Turns out that this cooking class was run by the former chef of the restaurant, who now conducted cooking classes at his own building, which also was not so far away, just a few tram stops down.

What I discovered was a marvelous cooking class run by Chef Andrea Consoli, a jolly, enthusiastic chef who took my classmates and I into the comfort of his kitchen and taught us how to cook authentic Italian food for an affordable price, using natural and organic ingredients. Not only was the food good, a few of my classmates were melted by his kindness and his Italian suave ;). And this, is how I came to discover the mouth-watering Saltim Bocca, which we made during the course of our decadent 5 course meal. You can check out Cooking Classes in Rome here.

"Saltimbocca" literally means "jump into your mouth". They literally do. You will have a hard time keeping these delicious morsels of beef, prosciutto, and melted cheese away from your lips, and I encourage you not to. When I first heard "Saltim Bocca" I knew, with my limited Italian (I only took beginning Italian, I wasn't really there for the language, folks) that "bocca" meant mouth. So when I first heard the term, it sounded like "salty mouth". Which is sort of the key to these delicious packages of meaty-cheesy-sagey delight. The prosciutto, layered on the inside of the thinly-sliced beef, lends the beef a savory saltiness. The sage leaf on top emphasizes the flavor of the beef and adds a slight sagey nuance to the meatiness. The cheese, (Chef Andrea suggests using Edam cheese but since I can't afford that expense I used Monterey Jack, which was equally mouth-watering) brings it all together in a creamy, meaty, sagey little present of joy that will leave your guests drooling and you wondering why you haven't made it until now.

meaty morsels of delight

If I had to sum up my 4 months in Rome it would probably taste something like a Saltim Bocca. When I first arrived, hardly knowing the Italian language, people seemed a little tough and harsh to me, like a piece of overcooked beef without flavoring. However, when I started to learn the language little by little, I discovered the prosciutto, the delicious saltiness of Italian culture. I started to understand that all that sass and hand gestures, everything...is so fun, so tasty, so full of life! I saw a car almost hit another car and even though one of the drivers was obviously at fault, she was flailing her fists under her chin, equally upset at the incident. People aren't afraid to express themselves, just like that salty prosciutto isn't afraid to release it's pungent flavor from beneath the thin blanket of beef. The cheese in the very center represents how romantic Italians are (myself and my friends were constantly stared at and sometimes even followed by mischievous, dreamy-eyed men), and how seriously they take friendships. While Italian people seem like tough beef on the outside, they are oozing cheese on the inside, some of the kindest, most generous, and friendliest people you will meet. And so, my experience with Italy can be summed up in the delicious savoriness of the Saltim Bocca. I do not say this lightly--you will, with no doubt, be head over heels about this dish. And the best part about it is that it's SUPER easy to make!!

Saltim Bocca, a recipe from Chef Andrea. Enjoy!

Saltimbocca alla Romana (Saltimbocca roman style)

Note: Saltimbocca, the word translates as “jump in the mouth”
 
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 1 lb / 500gr thinly sliced beef cutlets (scallopini or tenderloin)
- 10 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
- 10 slices thinly sliced edam cheese (american cheese, swiss cheese or sliced mozzarella cheese is fine as well.....remember it has to be soft and mild cheese)
- 20 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
 
Instructions:

Put the beef cutlets side by side on chopping board. Lay a piece of prosciutto on top of each piece of beef and cut it into small squares. Gently flatten the cutlets with a rolling pin or meat mallet, until the pieces are about 1/3 inch thick (about 0,5cm thick) and the prosciutto has adhered to the beef.

Then lay the cheese in the center of each cutlet square.




Wrap beef around or just fold beef in half. Lay a sage leaf on top and weave a toothpick in and out of the beef to secure the prosciutto, cheese and sage.

   

 
Heat the oil and in a large skillet over medium flame. Put the beef in the pan, 

non-sage side down first. Cook for 3 minutes or until crisp and then flip the cutlets over and saute the other side for 2 minutes, until golden. 

Transfer the saltimbocca to a serving platter, remove the toothpicks, and keep warm. Don't season with salt or pepper since prosciutto is salty and you don't need to add more seasoning to your plate.
Once done, serve immediately :). A side of pasta or minestrone with noodles can be nice, it's what I served my husband's family last night.

finished saltim bocca

small saltim, large saltim

Large Saltim Bocca
I tried my own varied version of the Saltim Bocca recipe, this time using a large slice of thin beef, layering it with prosciutto, and filling it with spinach as well as the cheese, and putting sage leaves on top. Make sure to dip the sage leaves in olive oil so that they will stick onto the beef. I tested it and the leaves will stick onto the beef without toothpicks. This larger version will need a longer cooking time since the beef needs to cook all the way through.

filled with prosciutto, raw spinach and cheese

Buon appetito!

Thank you for those who have been following my blog! If you try out this recipe please let me know how it turns out and please subscribe to my blog today if you would like an update of delicious summer recipes every week!

With love,

Kaori