BakeSpace Coast to Coast Saltimbocca "Jumps" the Pond

Awesome news!!! The Coast to Coast Cook-Off has jumped "the Pond" and gone global. In honor of this event, the Coast to Coast cook off has henceforth been renamed as the "International Taste Tour". YAY!!!!!! After all food is the international language. How many cultures around the world consider "breaking bread" to be a significant "ritual"?

The chosen dish for this BakeSpace International Taste Tour was Saltimbocca (Jumps in the mouth). I LOVE Saltimbocca alla Romana, but I tend to follow a very traditional recipe when making it. Since the purpose of the coast to coast cook off is to personalize the dishes we are preparing, I had to really work on this one... Let's face it, I usually put an "Italian" or "Mediterranean" spin on dishes, that is kind of my signature. It was going to be a little difficult to put my normal spin on something that was already Italian.

To make matters worse, I am an avid user of Browned Butter, which is standard to the dish, so I was even denied my "ace in the hole"; my "tour de force" as it were. Yes, this was going to require some massive mental rumination. I was beginning to feel like Winnie the Pooh, sitting here just tapping my head and repeating over and over... "Think, Think, Think, Think, Think". What could I possibly do to place my signature on a classic dish such as this?

Well, I like to use Panko in place of regular bread crumbs... but I don't think it would react well to the braising. (sigh)

Saltimbocca, in the classic sense is veal, so I suppose I could use chicken, but that's really not very "me". Then it hit me... I was raised on alternate forms of red meat. There wasn't a whole lot of cow cooking going on in my household growing up... Lamb, Cheven, Elk, Venison, & Rabbit for sure, but not really a lot of Beef and especially not Veal... OK, NOW I was getting somewhere, but it was not without it's issues.

Goat is impossible to find in San Diego; Lamb I could have probably done, although the cost of non-ground Lamb here is ridiculous at best. Elk? Yeah right, in this town? Let's get real. LOL Not happ'nin any more than Venison or Rabbit... ;) I would be better off combing Balboa park for a Opossum.

BUT, what I DID find was a Bison steak... I know, shock of shocks. I have only seen it ground up until this point. But the shocks keep right on coming, cause what really floored me, is that is was cheaper than Lamb... So YAY and Hooray!! Bison is good... Sweeter than domesticated bovine, more mellow in flavor, and as a bonus, it's actually low in cholesterol, which kind of compensates for all the Browned Butter, right? AWESOME!

And so it was ... Bison was the meat I used... a decidedly American spin on an Italian classic... Now THERE is some irony for ya... LOL Oh, I decided to do a rolatini configuration instead of layering or folding.... For all my BakeSpace buddies out there, this recipe is located Here In My Kitchen.

Saltimbocca ala Bisonte

1 lb Bison Sirloin

8 slices of Prosciutto di Parma
10 - 12 Fresh Sage Leaves; depending on size
2 oz AP Flour; for dredging

6 TB Browned Butter; Divided
6 oz dry White Wine; I used Orvieto this time (A dry blended wine with trebbiano grapes similar to Sauvignon Blanc, or at least this one was)

3 oz Veal Stock (when using veal scaloppini I will sometimes use Chicken stock, but this really needs veal stock)

Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
(optional) 1 1/2 TB of Heavy Cream

Using a Super-Sharp knife (I used my American Angler filleting knife instead of my Shun Gokujo, cause the blade is a little longer)

Fillet the sirloin to reduce the thickness and create cutlets.

Place one cutlet between two sheets of waxed paper or in a zip lock baggy and pound in lightly with a meat mallet to 1/8 inch thickness, making Scaloppine (singular).

Be gentle.

Lay down Prosciutto and 2 - 3 Sage leaves;

Roll the scaloppini (pl), (this is rolatini) and place on a plate and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour covered with plastic wrap. (this will help the rolatini hold their shape when searing)

While your waiting, go ahead and make Browned Butter. (You need about 8 TB of unsalted butter to make 6 TB of Browned Butter)

Heat 3 TB Browned Butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Dredge the rolatini (pl) in flour to coat,

Shaking off any excess.

Grab a clean plate and warm it slightly in the microwave, set it on an empty burner.

Sear the rolatini on all sides until lightly browned.

Transfer to the warm plate.

Pour the spent Browned Butter from pan (But don’t wipe the pan!)

Place back over medium-high heat and add the remaining 3 TB Browned Butter.

When butter is hot, deglaze with Wine and scrape fond from the bottom of the pan,

Then add the veal stock and salt and pepper to taste. (Be stingy with the salt, cause the prosciutto is REALLY salty already)

Place the rolatini back in pan and simmer until sauce is reduced by half and the rolatini are heated through; about 10 minutes (I occasionally spoon some of the pan liquid over the rolatini)

Transfer the rolatini to a clean plate,

Add the 1 1/2 TB of Heavy Cream, if using, to the sauce and cook 1 minute more.

Strained the sauce if you like. (This is optional)

Spoon sauce over top and serve with Sage to garnish.


All in all, I was extremely pleased. I was worried at first, about rolling the bison, but I ended up with the perfect touch of pink all the way through. Yes, so pleased that I ate 2 pieces... ;) Who needs a vegetable, isn't that what the sage is for?

And what Taste Tour would be complete without all of my talented "beeps" (BakeSpace peeps) and their inspired interpretations of this Classic Italian Dish. Even better is that, thanks to DD who totally rocks by the way, we now have a visual representation of where everyone is located.

Simply click on the map above for a full sized rendition, providing pictures, recipes and locations of all my beeps' creations.

For those who have subscribed via email... Here is a quick rundown.... of all the other inspired renditions of Saltimbocca from across the globe.

Dajana from Baker's Corner... Somewhere in my Kitchen, in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)

Sheryle from Cookiebaker's Corner in Ohio

Pamela from Pamela's Place 2 in Indiana

Matt from Outlaw Gourmand in California

Cathy from The Dutch Baker's Daughter in Minnesota

Spryte from Spryte's Place in Pennsylvania

Danielle from Cooking for my Peace of Mind in California

Moni From Alaskan Dermish in the Kitch in Alaska

DD from DDPie's Slice in Indiana

Michele from My Italian Grandmother in New Jersey

They are all so wonderfully inventive and diverse, I am sure there is a Saltimbocca here to suite everyone's taste!!

Mangia!!
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