Saltimbocca (also saltinbocca) (Italian: jumps in the mouth) was one of the first dishes I saw Giada De Laurentis make on Everyday Italian. I met her in 2006 and she has signed both my Everyday Italian and Giada's Family dinners. She is so nice and I love her down homeyness.
The toothpick thing was complicated and rolling the chicken with spinach and it just seemed really hard..just didn't work well so I gave up the recipe as a "DO NOT ATTEMPT AGAIN!!!"
Until I tried a more traditional recipe. This calls for the chicken to be pounded with a piece of prosciutto, dusted with flour then cooked. Adding artichoke hearts, lemon juice and wine to deglaze the pan (fancy words for getting the brown bits off the pan and into the sauce) and reducing makes this dish feel like you are a real cook!
Chicken Saltimbocca
4 chicken breasts
4 thin slices Prosciutto ham
1 tablespoon fresh sage (chopped)
3 ounces light olive oil
1 ounce all-purpose flour
5 ounces artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
1/2 ounce capers
4 ounces white wine
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon salt
Lightly salt chicken breasts. Sprinkle evenly with chopped sage. Place sliced Prosciutto on top the chicken and pound it into the breast until the thickness of the chicken measures 3/8-inch.
Not only does this meld the two together but if your boss has been giving you grief, the image of his face in the wake of a swinging mallet can be very therapeutic! I don't have a fancy meat mallet..I just used my rolling pin covered in plastic wrap!
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Try not to over heat the oil as it will lend a bitter flavor to the chicken and in my case, having a kitchen fire when your husband is a Fire Chief is somehow looked down on..go figure!
Lightly flour chicken pressed with prosciutto. Place in heated oil, Prosciutto side down. Brown one side, turn and brown the other side. Remove the chicken to a paper towel covered plate. Drain off excess oil, and deglaze with 4 ounces of white wine. Add artichokes, fresh lemon juice, cream and butter and cook until sauce is thickened. This can take a few minutes to get the sauce to reduce. Be patient because the sauce will thicken and it clings to the chicken much better when reduced
On a large platter, place chicken breasts topped with reduced sauce and garnish with capers.
Serves 4.
The picture above is my first real beauty shot..not all the pictures will be that pretty..especially if they were taken with my iphone.
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