Pork Saltimbocca by Nicola Hazel of Jannettas Gelateria in St Andrews

My family have always very much enjoyed bringing everyone together around the kitchen table to enjoy freshly prepared fayre. My great-grandparents, before they came to Scotland, lived in Italy in a small community who very much lived off the land, subsistence farmers. They grew what they ate and made do with what the season brought. Although many had little money in those days, the food they created with the produce they had grown was delicious. I am proud of my Italian-Scottish heritage and enjoy cooking a combination of Italian and Scottish food.

Traditionally in Italy Saltimbocca was a dish made with veal but I prefer to use pork escalopes. A rough translation of the word ‘Saltimbocca’ is ‘jump in the mouth’ and this will do exactly that when you make it. It’s simply delicious, full of flavour and reminds me of days spent in the sun in Italy with my family.

Time to prepare: 15-20 minutes

Time to cook: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients: serves: 4

500g pork loin

70g Parma ham, thinly sliced

125ml Marsala wine

1 tsp. cornflour

4 small sage leaves

A splash of olive oil

To serve (optional)
Italian new potatoes (slices of red pepper and red onion drizzled with olive oil and gently cooked then mixed with boiled new potatoes and seared until crispy).

Method

  1. Prepare the loin by removing any sinew and fat. Slice into 10cm rounds and using a wooden cleaver, beat down as thinly as possible into escalopes.
  2. Cover each escalope with sage leaves, then a slice of Parma ham. Use cocktail sticks to secure it together.
  3. Using a heavy based frying pan, pour a layer of olive oil in the pan and place on a medium heat. Fry the escalopes (Parma ham side down first) until crispy then flip over and cook the underside until the meat is cooked through.
  4. Add Marsala wine to the pan and cook off for 5-7 minutes then add the cornflour and mix.
  5. Serve with Italian new potatoes.

In association with Taste Communications.

www.tastecommunications.co.uk