Pork Saltimbocca alla Romana
This pork saltimbocca will jump in your mouth! Pork tenderloin topped with prosciutto, fontina, and sage makes a tender and quick cooking meal. Finish off the recipe with a white wine pan sauce and serve with sauteed spinach.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 575kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin, about 1.25 lbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices (2 oz) prosciutto
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 7-9 sage leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup low-sodium or no-sodium chicken stock
- 4 oz fontina, shredded
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Sauteed Spinach
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 16 oz fresh baby spinach, rinsed and still wet
Instructions
- Trim the pork tenderloin of fat and connective tissue. Cut it on the diagonal into 7-9 3/4-inch pieces. Pound each piece until it is 1/4 inch thick and about the size of your hand. Top each piece with 1/2 of a slice of prosciutto.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Then dredge the pork and prosciutto in flour until evenly coated. Once the oil is hot, place the pork prosciutto side down in the skillet. Sear the pieces until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate and cover lightly with foil.
- Add the butter to the skillet. Once the butter is melted, add the sage leaves and fry them until lightly browned and crispy, 1 minute. Transfer the sage to the plate with the pork.
- Add the garlic to the skillet and saute for 30 seconds. Pour in the white wine. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cook for 2-3 minutes more, until the sauce is brown and thickened.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Return the pork to the skillet and mound some of the fontina over piece, then place one sage leaf on each piece. Cover the skillet and let it sit until the fontina is melted. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
Sauteed Spinach
- While the pork is cooking, make the sauteed spinach. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and kosher salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the wet spinach and cover the pan. Cook the spinach until it is wilted and dark green, 4-5 minutes.
- Serve the pork saltimbocca over the sauteed spinach along with egg noodles or a nice, crusty bread.
Notes
- The prosciutto sticks quite well to the pork and I haven't had any need to use a toothpick to keep it in place. Put the flour in a wide bowl and lay the pork in it, one side then the other. I do put my thumb over the prosciutto as I dredge the pork, which keeps it from shifting.
- If you are making a double batch (two tenderloins), I would highly recommend transferring the pork to a baking sheet after sauteing and let the cheese melt in the oven while you make the sauce and finish the spinach. You will heat the oven to 350, top the slices with cheese, fry up the sage then place the sage on each slice, and bake until the cheese melts, about 5-7 minutes.
- When cutting the pork at an angle, look to see which way the fibers are going to make sure you are cutting against the grain and not with it. The muscle fibers can also angle in the tenderloin and then you are cutting some very long fibers, which will be harder to pound thin and a little less tender.
- I make the saltimbocca in my cast iron skillet. It's nonstick and can take the high heat.
- Use wet spinach in the recipe so the water on the spinach can steam in the saute pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 575kcal