My take on the traditional Italian recipe, Saltimbocca. Pork loin with sage, wrapped in parma ham and cooked in white wine and chicken stock.
Saltimbocca is a dish popular in Italy, Spain, Greece and Southern Switzerland. It was traditionally made using veal. However, over time the recipe has been adapted to use other meats such as chicken, turkey and pork¹.
I was inspired to make a pork version after buying something similar ready-to-cook from Marks & Spencer, which I enjoyed. It’s so simple to prepare, there’s really no need to buy something ready-made.
I also make this recipe using turkey breast steaks instead of the pork loin which works really well too.
Another variation I have tried is to roll the parma ham and sage inside the pork loin rather than wrapping it around the outside as I’ve done here. It does look a bit fancier (worth the effort if you’re trying to impress someone!). However, it tastes the same, it’s just a bit more of a faff to do. When I’m cooking at home I tend to go for simplicity over style (it’s all getting eaten in the end, isn’t it) and that’s the approach I’ve taken here.
However, if you do want to make the rolled-up version then have a quick look under the main recipe and I’ll talk you through what you need to do (I thought about writing it here but it just got confusing without explaining the main recipe first).
If you’re looking for inspiration for side dishes to go with this recipe then take a quick look at my recipe index. My favourites to go with this are the Roasted Carrot and Swede Mash or the Mustard Beans.
Pork Loin with Parma Ham and Sage
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pork medallion loin steaks - 400g
- 4 slices parma ham - 60g
- 4 sage leaves
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 200 ml white wine
- 200 ml chicken stock
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the pork loin steaks on a sheet of greaseproof paper (or cling film) and fold the paper over so that the steaks are covered. Bash the steaks a few times with a rolling pin or meat mallet to flatten it slightly.
- Place a sage leaf onto each steak and then carefully wrap each steak with a slice of parma ham.
- Heat the olive oil (5ml) in a frying pan (large enough to comfortably fit the four steaks).
- Add the wrapped steaks (with the ham join facing down) and cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for a further two minutes.
- Add the white wine (200ml) and chicken stock (200ml) and simmer for 15 minutes until the pork is cooked through.
- The white wine and chicken stock makes a delicious sauce. If it's a bit thin when the pork is cooked then remove the pork and continue to simmer the sauce until it has thickened.
- Serve.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
To make a fancier version of this recipe
Make the recipe as above with the following three changes…
Complete step 1 and then bash the pork a little more to make it a bit thinner. Place the sage leaf onto the pork and lay a slice of parma ham on top. Roll up the pork and secure with a cocktail stick to prevent in unravelling when cooking.
For step 4, instead of cooking the pork for two minutes on each side. Cook for four minutes turning regularly to ensure that it’s browned all over. You’ll find that the cocktail stick will get in the way (it’s annoying!). To ensure that it’s browned all over you might need to adjust the position of the cocktail stick (but don’t remove it) so that all of the pork comes into contact with the pan at some point.
For step 5. Turn the rolls over halfway through cooking to ensure that they are cooked evenly.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Egg-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Fish-Free
- Crustacean-Free
- Mollusc-Free
- Celery-Free
- Mustard-Free
- Lupin-Free
This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free stock.
¹Source: Wikipedia
Susan mary says
Looks very tasty, I will be trying this today.!!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks, I hope you enjoy it xx