"Saltimbocca" Pork Loin with Lemon Sauce

Saltimbocca is a classic Italian dish consisting of thinly-pounded veal scallopine wrapped in sage leaves and prosciutto. The veal is cooked in a skillet and afterwards, a white wine based sauce is made by deglazing the skillet. There are various versions of preparing saltimbocca depending on the regions of Italy. It is common to use chicken breasts and pork loins as a substitute for veal.  

For this dish, I did not thinly pound the pork loin, instead I left it as a whole, rubbed in sage powder, covered with slices of prosciutto, and roasted in the oven. After roasting, all these drippings left on the baking pan are used to make a flavourful lemon white wine sauce. Simple, juicy and flavour-packed, no wonder saltimbocca translated means jump in the mouth!

Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Roasting Time: about 30 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb pork loin
10-12 slices of prosciutto
about 2 tbsp ground sage
Ground pepper

Lemon Sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp white wine
about 1 tsp cornstarch
about 1 tsp cold water
2 tbsp lemon juice

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Rub pork loin with ground sage and ground pepper. Lay slices of prosciutto on a surface, overlap the slices along the long edges.  Place pork loin at the center, fat side down.

3. Wrap pork loin with prosciutto and seal the edges. Lightly oil baking pan, place the wrapped pork loin seal-side down. Roast for about 30 mins until the internal temperature reaches 155F.

4. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 15 mins before slicing.

5. Meanwhile, prepare lemon sauce.

6. Drain fat from pan. Pour in chicken broth and white wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with cold water to make a slurry. Stir into sauce with lemon juice and simmer until thick.

7. Slice pork loin. Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or white bean purée.