Pork Saltimbocca (with Polenta)

[fitfool]

The Italian word saltimbocca literally translates to "jump in the mouth," presumably because this dish tastes so good it will hop right in. The classic Roman dish is Saltimbocca alla Romana, made with veal scaloppini topped with prosciutto and sage. The recipe for this pork version came from Cooking Light (Nov 2003) We’ve been making it with white rice instead of polenta since we always have white rice in the house. And sometimes we'll substitute pancetta instead of prosciutto. I have also seen recipes for chicken saltimbocca that use chicken with mozzarella cheese. This pork saltimbocca dish has served me well and only takes 25 minutes to prepare.

Pork Saltimbocca with Polenta
Pork:
6 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed
6 very thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
6 large fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup (about 1 ½ ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon thinly-sliced fresh sage

Polenta:
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup instant polenta
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. To prepare pork, place each chop between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Arrange 1 prosciutto slice over each chop top with 1 sage leaf and about 1 tablespoon cheese. Fold chops in half to sandwich filling, and secure with wooden toothpicks. Sprinkle both sides of chops with pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place flour in shallow dish; dredge stuffed chops in flour.
   
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.
   
3. Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 2 minutes). Add 1 cup broth; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Stir in 1 tablespoon sage. Reduce heat to medium. Return chops to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning once.
   
4. To prepare polenta, bring milk and 1 can broth to a boil. Gradually stir in polenta and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 2 minutes. Serve polenta immediately with chops and sauce.
   
   
   
   
   

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed chop, about 4 teaspoons sauce, and ½ cup polenta)
Calories 404 (30% from fat); fat 13.3g(sat 5.3g, mono 6g, poly 1g); Protein 34.9g; carb 30.8g; fiber 2.8g; chol 85mg; iron 1.6mg; sodium 733mg; calc 172mg

Thread at cooking

Comments

[rogerdoger.livejournal.com]

Ive been on a few dates where I could have done with knowing that word!

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Me, I'm just struggling to keep the spelling straight in my head. I must've cross-checked it a dozen times typing up this post. :)

This is SO unkosher!!!!!!

[nunuplans.livejournal.com]

Just kidding...although it really is!
Loved talking to you yesterday.
miss you a bunch.

Re: This is SO unkosher!!!!!!

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah I definitely wouldn't be serving this one up if you came over for dinner. Too bad we never got around to cooking together. But I'm getting better these days. Weren't you going to show me how to make falafel? :)

[xaintius.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, that looks great!

X.

[divajess.livejournal.com]

That looks sooooo good...I just added it to my recipes to try. Tonight I'm making your tortellini recipe. It looks amazing as well
Thanks for sharing! :)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Cool. The tortellini recipe seems to be popular. Someone else just told me he had made it for 8 of his friends this weekend. I hope you like it!

[divajess.livejournal.com]

I LOVED it...it turned out awesome. And it was so easy, too! I will definitely be making that again.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!