PORK SALTIMBOCCA

December 24th, 2008

Saltimbocca means it tastes so good that the food literally jumps into your mouth. There are many different versions of this dish and some use veal instead of pork. I find that by tenderizing pork shoulder I get the benefit of a tender piece of pig while at the same time enjoying the incredibly rich flavor and texture of the shoulder cut.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt & pepper
-3-4 pounds of best quality pork shoulder (for example, the “Picnic Roast” from Prather Ranch)
-1/4 pound of prosciutto or jamon serrano sliced thinly
-Bunch of sage leaves
-Meat tenderizer
-1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
-3/4 cup of dry white wine (room temperature)
-1 cup all purpose flour

Cut your shoulder into thin slices. Lay each slice onto a cutting board and hammer aggressively with the tenderizer. Start hammering in the middle and make your way to the outer edges. Do both sides. Sprinkle a bit of salt on what will be the inner layer. Add one slice of prosciutto and 1 sage leaf. Fold the pork over to enclose the prosciutto and sage. Hammer again to seal the package. It doesn’t have to be perfectly closed, just enough to stay together for cooking.

Prepare a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When almost smoking take your pork, dust in flour (shake off any excess) and add to pan. Do not overcrowd the pan. Work in batches. Leave in pan without moving until the bottom of the pork is nicely brown and caramelized (8-10 minutes). Turn browned pieces over for 30 seconds. Remove to a platter and continue browning remaining pieces.

Your pan is now empty and the heat is still at high. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Add all of the pork back into the pan with less cooked side down. Pour in the white wine (add more if necessary). Turn down the heat. Add the butter and grind in some pepper. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the pork is tender and cooked through. Plate and spoon sauce over each piece of pork.

Buon appetito!

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