Saltimbocca alla romana is a classic dish from Rome and its surroundings. Saltimbocca literally means hop in the mouth. These veal slices topped with prosciutto and scented with sage are so appetizing that it’s difficult to stop eating them. I know this first hand, when I made them the other day I ate a second serving and a third one was welcome too. I had to muster all of my willpower to stop devouring them and leave some for the rest of my family.

There are few ingredients for this recipe: thin veal slices, prosciutto and sage. I’m not a veal fan to tell you the truth, but I have to admit that for this recipe veal is the right meat to use. Other substitutions just wouldn’t have the same result in flavor and texture.

The prosciutto for the dish should be tender and sweet. When you buy the ham be sure they haven’t just started slicing it. The first slices tend to be drier and saltier. Slices are better thin. I discard the fat around because I personally don’t like it, but you can leave some of it if you prefer.

Ingredients:

8 veal slices 1/4 inch thick, about 2 oz./g.60 each
8 prosciutto crudo slices
8 sage leaves
3-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
sea salt to taste

Servings: 4

Instructions:
1. Pound the slices until they become thinner. The thinner they are the more delicate the results will be. If the slices are too large you can cut them in two.
2. Cover the veal slice with a slice of prosciutto. If the prosciutto slice is bigger than the veal one, fold the prosciutto sides under.
3. Top the prosciutto with the sage leave and bind the layers together with a toothpick.
4. Heat up the oil in a large nonstick pan and add the veal slices. Meat side down.
5. Cook the veal until golden at high heat, 1 minute. Turn them, add the wine and cook them for another minute or until done.
6. Salt to taste. Serve them hot and enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
2 Tbsp. fennel seeds
1/2 cup dry red wine
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 small cloves of garlic not pealed

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with freshly grounded black pepper and salt.
2. Bring a skillet to a high temperature and immediately add the fennel seeds, the garlic cloves still unpeeled and the pork chops. Bring to medium high temperature.
3. When one side is cooked turn the chops and add the wine.
4. Cook until done and golden brown.

Notes:
If the pork chops are too dry when cooking add a little olive oil before adding the wine.

Polenta is a very common dish on our table especially in the winter. It’s the perfect accompaniment for  stews or sausages and ideal with some fish dishes. Polenta itself can be enriched with cheeses and butter or filled with meat or cheeses and baked. This particular polenta pasticciata recipe is from Lombardy, one of the many variations you can find. The polenta is prepared plain and then poured over a round wooden board and cooled. The dish consists of layers of polenta alternated with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese baked until golden brown. It is an earthy and rich in taste dish, I personally find polenta comforting and soothing. I’m sure this recipe will warm up your day too.

Ingredients:

For the polenta:
18 oz. (medium grind) cornmeal
2 quarts water
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Polenta can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. If you make it the same day it has to cool at room temperature before making the recipe.

For the sauce:
11 oz. Italian sausage
11 oz. ground pork meat
0.8 oz. (25 grams) dry porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. tomato sauce (without citric acid)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions for basic polenta recipe be careful because the polenta will splash as it thickens. Cook it for 40 minutes mixing often and when ready pour it over a round wooden cutting board to cool. That can be a lot of mixing.  I use a stainless steel pan with the very heavy bottom. Once the polenta is mixed in I can cover it an reduce the heat to a minimum and it cooks  perfectly without stirring and without burning.

2. Soak the porcini mushrooms in lukewarm water for about 25 minutes. Then chop them and save 1 cup of its liquid previously passed trough a strainer covered with paper towel or coffee filter to eliminate any dirt.
3. In the meantime warm up the extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Then add the ground pork and mix until browned.
4. Add the sausage with skin case removed and porcini mushrooms. Cook at high heat until well combined and then add the white wine and let it simmer until the alcohol has evaporated. Finally add the tomato sauce and the liquid from the mushrooms and let it simmer covered at medium low heat for 1 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Butter a baking dish. Slice the polenta in half inch thick slices. Make the first layer of polenta then cover it with meat sauce, sprinkle it with Parmesan. Then start another layer with polenta and meat sauce, continue until the ingredients are finished. Finish with a layer of polenta, sprinkle it generously with Parmesan cheese and dot with butter. As you can see in the picture I made 2 layers of sauce and three of polenta.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 40 minutes. Grill the last 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Thin slices of veal filled with prosciutto, Parmesan cheese and cultivated mushroom slivers. They can be prepared hours ahead (don’t roll them in the flour) and refrigerated until ready to be cooked.

Ingredients:

18 thin slices of veal about 10 to 12 oz.
3.5 oz./g. 100 Parmesan cheese
7 oz. prosciutto crudo (cured ham)* cut in thin slices
about 5 cultivated mushrooms
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup brandy**
2 cups heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Place a slice of prosciutto over the veal slice, add few slivers of parmesan and thinly sliced mushrooms.
2. Roll the veal slice starting from the smallest end. Then close the roll with a toothpick. Roll them in flour ans shake off the excess.
3. In a non stick skillet add the butter and olive oil and when melted add the roll ups.
4. Cook on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
5. Sprinkle the roll ups with the brandy and being really careful light up the brandy. It’ll burn off  in a second or two.
6. Combine well and cook the roll ups for a minute or two.
7. Remove the roll ups then add the heavy cream to the pan and cook at medium-low heat until lightly reduced. When the cream starts to thicken add the roll ups and mix well. Serve accompanied with potato pure.

Note:

* prosciutto crudo is commonly called  “prosciutto” in the US, which for Italians only means ham. Ham in general can be cooked or cured, we call it in fact crudo (cured) or cotto (cooked) which is like your regular ham but ours is not smoked. The most famous brand are San Daniele and Parma. Make sure that the slices are cut really thin otherwise they won’t taste right.

** If you don’t have brandy available use a dry white wine but don’t flame it.
If you don’t want to use alcohol just skip it.

Ingredients:

1lb 5 oz thinly sliced veal or pork liver
1 lb white onions
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Slice the onions thinly.
2. Warm the butter and oil in a large skillet. When it’s hot add the onions.
3. Cook at a low heat until they are really soft. About 20 minutes of cooking time. If they get too dry add a spoon or two of water. Salt them after ten minutes.
4. When they are ready raise the heat and add the liver.
5. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until done and salt to taste.
6. Serve hot with hot polenta.

The famous dish from Lombardia is usually served with Milan style risotto. if you don’t want to serve them with risotto polenta is a nice alternative.

Ingredients:

6 veal shanks
1 small white onion minced
1 stalk celery minced
1 carrot minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup meat broth
1 bay leaf
zest from 1/2 lemon
zest from 1/4 orange
2 leaves sage
1/2 sprig rosemary
olive oil
salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the tendons close to the bone so that the meat doesn’t curl up while cooking. Not so much that you separate the bone form the meat though.
2. Dredge the shanks in flour and then brown them in a large pan with 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
3. Once browned remove them from the pan and set them aside.
4. Now add the carrot, celery, onion and bay leaf along with 4 Tbsp. olive oil and sauté them for 5 minutes. If they get too dry add a little bit of broth.
5. Put the shanks back in the pan with the vegetables, mix well and then add the wine. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.
6. Add the broth, tomato sauce and a healthy pinch of salt and then cover and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
7. Add the parsley, rosemary, sage and zests during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Note, don’t grate the zest but rather peel it , cut away the white insides and then mince it.
8. If they get too dry add some broth if on the other hand it is soupy cook uncovered until the liquid reduces.
9. Serve hot together with Milan Style Risotto.

Ingredients:

1 lb. veal – 1/8 inch thick slices
flour
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter
salt to taste
Dry Marsala Wine

Instructions:

1. Pound the veal slices then coat them with flour and shake off the excess.
2. Put the butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet and place over high heat be careful not to burn the butter.
3. When the butter is melted add the veal and cook the first side until lightly brown.
4. Turn the veal over and sprinkle with Marsala placing your thumb over the top of the bottle to control the flow, approximately 1/4 cup.
5. Salt the veal to taste and cook until lightly brown and keep an eye on them since the Marsala thickens quickly and can burn easily.
6. Remove from the pan and serve them immediately.

Notes:

If you don’t want to use veal you can substitute it with turkey or chicken breast.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. veal roast
12 oz. small white onions peeled*
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 sage leaves
3 Tbsp. oil
3/4 dry red wine
salt and pepper to taste
meat broth

Instructions:

1. In a pot, preferably with a think bottom, heat the oil and add the onions.
2. Salt and pepper the veal and then add it to the pan and brown it on all sides at a high heat. You may want to tie the meat first to help maintain its form while cooking.
3. Once brown add the wine, rosemary and sage and continue cooking at a high heat for a few minutes until the alcohol will be consumed.
4. Cover and reduce to a low heat.
5. Continue cooking until done turning the meat from time to time.
6. If it becomes too dry you can add a bit of meat broth.
7. Let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve accompained with the onion sauce.
Notes:

The cooking heat will vary depending on cooking temperature and the actual size of your roast. I cooked this one for about 80 minutes.

This is an old recipe for meatballs when people couldn’t afford to buy meat that often and turned frugality into an art. Meat in fact was mainly eaten on Sunday and Monday was usually the day for meatballs using the leftovers from the previous day. If the meat wasn’t enough boiled potatoes were added to the mixture and if possible meatballs were also enriched with mortadella or ham (prosciutto cotto), a real delight. I sincerely prefer this kind to the usual meatballs as they’re tastier. These meatballs vary depending on the ingredients you’re using so it’s always something new and different. I love to make these meatballs using leftovers from Thanksgiving Dinner, a different idea from the usual turkey sandwiches.

Ingredients:

11 oz. leftover meat (roast meat, chicken, turkey etc.)
1 small dry bread roll equivalent to 2 slices of dry bread without the crust soaked in 1/2 cup milk or water
2 small garlic cloves minced
2 small potatoes about 7 oz.
1/3 cup fresh grated Italian parmesan
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 medium eggs
1 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
olive oil to fry

Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes with the skin on in salted water. When ready peal them and set them aside.
2. On a cutting board dice the meat into tiny pieces using a Mezzaluna
3. In a bowl combine the meat with the potatoes previously mashed, the parsley, the garlic, the salt, the bread squeezed from the milk, the Parmesan and lastly the eggs.
4. Take a heaping tablespoon of the meat at a time and roll it into a ball and then flatten it down a bit. Continue until the meat is finished, approximately 20 meatballs. Coat the meatballs with the bread crumbs.
5. Heat a 1/2 inch olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Cook the meatballs on both sides a few at a time until golden brown.
6. Remove the meatballs and set them on paper towel to absorb the excess oil, sprinkle them with salt and serve.

Notes:

These meatballs really define the “cucina povera” which wastes nothing. Try them!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. zucchini
12 oz. ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced smoked ham
1/4 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan
2 beaten medium eggs
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 slice dry bread soak in 3/4 cup milk
salt to taste
2 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
butter

Instructions:

1. Remove the ends of the zucchini. Then place the zucchini into the salted boiling water and cook them for about 3 minutes.
2. Cut them lengthwise and scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/2 inch of shell. Chop the pulp in little pieces.
3. In a skillet cook the onion in the oil until soft. Add the meat and cook it for few minutes being careful not to overcook it so it doesn’t become tough. Add the zucchini pulp, the ham and salt to taste.
4. Squeeze most of the milk out of the bread and then put the bread in a pan and cook it till it becomes creamy.
5. Remove the bread from the heat and combine it with the meat add the eggs and salt to taste.
6. Place the zucchini in a greased oven proof dish. Fill them with the stuffing, sprinkle them with the bread crumbs and dot them with butter.
7. Bake them uncovered for 30-35 minutes at 400°. Check them after 15 minutes and if the zucchini are still too hard cover the bottom of the dish with 1/8 inch water.
8. When done let them cool off for few minutes and serve.