Simmer Stock - Kitchen performing: Veal Saltimbocca with Conchigliette in Lemon Tomato Caper Sauce and Warm Fennel and Meyer Lemon Salad

Veal Saltimbocca with Conchigliette in Lemon Tomato Caper Sauce and Warm Fennel and Meyer Lemon Salad

Mmmmm. Veal Saltimbocca with Conchigliette in Lemon Tomato Caper Sauce and Warm Fennel and Meyer Lemon Salad. Saltimbocca literally means Jump Mouth, as in "this is food that wants to jump into your mouth." And indeed it does. Small packets of veal, proscuitto, sage and cheese - tender, salty, chewy, cheesy: Tasty (yep, with a capital "T." Stuff like this is not meant to sit on a plate!

For sides I made a warm fennel and meyer lemon salad and some pasta in a tomato sauce flavored with capers and wild mushrooms. The market had some decent looking fennel bulbs and I've been dying to put my preserved lemons to work again (they really do add a fresh spring-like flavor to a winter dinner). The pasta turned out only OK. I thought capers would add a nice salty herbal essence that would relate well with the sage and proscuitto in the Saltimbocca. I almost pulled it off, too, but I threw in too many capers. Francie actually loved the caper quantity, but Samantha and Halle both picked out "the green things."

Saltimbocca is very easy to make and can be done (from prep to table) in under a half hour. Start by pounding veal cutlets nice and thin. Cover the cutlets with a slice of proscuitto, one or two sage leaves and a slice of mozzarella or fontina cheese. Fold the cutlets over and close the packet with a wooden toothpick. Sauté the packets in butter and olive oil for about three minutes per side (you just want to get a nice caramelized browning thing happening). Put the veal on a plate and cover with foil to keep the packets cozy warm. Toss a couple tablespoons of minced shallots in the pan and deglaze the pan with white wine. When the wine is almost totally evaporated, add a cup of stock and let that reduce by half. Finally, finish the sauce with a couple tablespoons of butter, add the veal packets back to warm 'em up and let them soak up a bit of the sauce and serve.

For the salad, sauté two cups of thinly sliced fennel and shallots in a quarter cup of olive oil (yes, a lot for cooking - but the oil also serves as part of the dressing) over very high heat un till the veggies are wilted. Toss this in a bowl with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a couple tablespoons of minced preserved lemon, salt and pepper.

For the pasta, sauté a tablespoon or so of shallots in olive oil, add some thinly sliced mushrooms (shitaake actually work well here) and cook until tender. Splash in some white wine or sherry and add a cup of chicken or veal stock. Reduce the liquid by half, and put in a two tablespoons of lemon juice (or a table spoon of minced preserved lemon), a tablespoon of capers (I used about three tablespoons - way too much) and three tablespoons of tomato paste (half of one of those tiny cans). Let cook for a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Add a half pound of cooked pasta (half pound before cooking, that is). The pasta should be real al-denté as it'll finish cooking in the sauce. I used baby shells, but penne; broken up fusilli, or radiatore would work nicely too.

Posted on Feb 10, 2002 @ 03:29 PM