ITALY

JUMP INTO MY MOUTH!

Our final stop in Europe is Italy!

Our last dish is known as ‘Saltimbocca alla Romana’, a popular version of ‘Saltimbocca’, which is a dish consisting of rolled pieces of meat, usually veal or poultry, cooked with herbs and prosciutto along with other flavourings. It is allegedly a Roman-style dish as demonstrated by the name although many concede that it probably originated in Brescia, a city in the Lombardy region in northern Italy. The ancient recipe for Saltimbocca is said to come from Brescia, however, it was adopted by the Romans because of its popularity throughout the city. It now comes under the umbrella of ‘Cucina Romana’ which refers to recipes that appeared during Rome’s Imperial period.

Brescia, Italy
http://www.brodyaga.com/pages/photos/Italy/Brescia%20Italy%201361348564(www.brodyaga.com).jpg

Saltimbocca alla Romana consists of veal, prosciutto or ham, and sage, which is rolled and cooked in Marsala and butter. The veal slices are topped with a sage leaf and then a thin slice of prosciutto, they are then fixed together with toothpicks. It is pan-fried with white wine and salt and pepper are also added to taste.

Skewered Saltimbocca alla Romana being panfried http://www.lericettedellavale.com/saltimbocca-alla-romana-937.html

Saltimbocca meaning ‘jump into the mouth’ is easily found outside of Italy and is made in many different variations. It is a simple recipe that doesn’t require many ingredients, therefore, the ingredients must be of very good quality for it to be in the same league as Italian Saltimbocca. The veal must be tender and for ‘alla Romana’ it should be made with Italian prosciutto, which is much sweeter than other prosciutto, cut extremely thin with the fat left on.

Saltimbocca alla Romana is a dish popular in Italy, southern Switzerland, Spain and Greece. Today, it can be found in most Italian restaurants worldwide. In addition, as there are not many ingredients and they are also quite common, the dish can easily be prepared at home.