The Best Pork Saltimbocca alla Romana – Jump Into It!

On cooler spring evenings before the summer heat takes over my wife and I enjoy a nice ancient Roman recipe of Pork Saltimbocca alla Romana. This dinner is not over-filling and offers a flavorful contrast in ingredients with proscuitto di Parma and sage over a tender pork filet covered with a garlic and white wine sauce. It’s so good it will make you want to go David Lee Roth and jump right into it or get excited for a new suit the way Ron Burgandy and Brian Fantana do. I did not include the Pointer Sisters here but I think you get the idea.

The phrase saltimbocca translates in Italian to “jump in mouth” and was originally a Roman recipe “Saltimbocca alla Romana” where veal is used and rolled similar to how Braciola is prepared in Southern Italy. I prefer to keep the meat flat (pork, chicken or veal) as I can better control the tenderness of the filet throughout: we try to keep it tender and classy here at Paggi Pazzo! 😉

To prepare pork saltimbocca buy thin cut pork filets or flatten out with a tenderizer then lightly dress with salt, pepper and flour. With a toothpick add a slice of prosciutto di Parma and sage to top of pork and put on a frying pan with olive oil at high-heat. Cook for 5 minutes a side then remove pork and cover with foil before adding chopped garlic and white wine to the pan and cook at medium heat for 7-10 minutes. Once sauce is ready add the pork back to the pan and after 2-3 minutes remove and plate for serving. The prosciutto di Parma practically melts into the pork and the sage is ever so lightly crunchy which provides a great texture on top of the pork. You could substitute the prosciutto di Parma with Speck (smoked-prosciutto) for a slightly saltier flavor so basil might be a better option rather than sage for that version.

I accompanied the pork saltimbocca with an arugula salad with strips of Reggiano Parmigiano in an olive oil and lemon dressing. For wine I enjoyed the Lazio favorite Cesanese, a nice red with a touch of spice and fruity aromas. There you have it Pork Saltimbocca alla Romana recipe from Paggi Pazzo, “in bocca al lupo!”

Pork Saltimbocca alla Romana Recipe

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pork tenderloin filet
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pinch black pepper and salt
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 4 sage leaves
• 4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
• 1/4 cup Antimo Caputo 00 Tipo flour
• 2 cloves garlic

Cooking Directions

1. Flatten/tenderize pork tenderloin filets then sprinkle with black pepper and salt
2. Cover pork lightly on all sides with flour then add slice of prosciutto di Parma with sage leave on top of pork with toothpick through both ends of pork tenderloin filets
3. Heat frying pan with olive oil at high heat and then add pork with prosciutto di Parma and sage to pan (prosciutto side down)
4. After 5 minutes turn pork onto other side and after another 5 minutes remove from pan and cover in aluminum foil to keep warm
5. Lower heat then add garlic and white wine to create sauce, after 7-10 minutes add pork back into pan with white wine sauce for 2-3 minutes
6. Remove from pan and serve