1. Trim any fat from the chicken. On the
non-skin side of each chicken breast you will find a long
whitish sinew which must be stripped out with a small knife. If
the loose tenderloin is adhering to the breast, sever it. Lay
the breast flat on a chopping board and cut 3 diagonal slices,
or 4 if the tenderloin has been removed. Repeat with the
remaining breasts. Pound the slices with the flat of a large
knife. Lay a few slices on a sheet of plastic wrap on the
chopping board.
2. Trim fat from the prosciutto slices and
cut each one in 4 pieces. Put a sage leaf on each piece of
chicken and top with a piece of prosciutto. Cover with plastic
wrap, pound to press the prosciutto into the chicken meat, then
peel off the wrap. Prepare the remaining saltimbocca in the same
way. They can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated,
ready to sauté at the last minute.
3. Heat half the butter in a frying pan and,
when it has stopped sputtering, add a few of the saltimbocca to
the pan, prosciutto side down. Sauté over medium heat until
brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about
1 minute longer. The chicken should no longer be pink in the
center, but don’t overcook it or it will be dry. Transfer the
saltimbocca to a warm platter and keep warm while frying the
rest.
4. When all the saltimbocca are cooked, add
the red wine to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring to
dissolve the pan juices. Reduce 3 to 5 minutes until slightly
thickened to a glaze. Add the remaining butter in small pieces,
swirling the pan over low heat so the butter softens and
thickens the sauce slightly without melting to oil. Taste,
adjust the seasoning and spoon it over the saltimbocca. Decorate
the platter with sage sprigs for serving.
What Wine
To Cook and to Drink: Amarone is the richly
concentrated, noble cousin of Valpolicella, that charming,
Beaujolais-like red from the Veneto region of northeastern
Italy. Pressed chiefly from the same grape, corvina, and grown
in the same vineyards, Amarone differs because the grapes are
dried over four to five months before being pressed and
fermented. Amarone may be hard to come by and its price may make
you hesitate to use it for cooking. A robust fruity red such as
a Californian syrah or an Australian shiraz will do well as an
alternative
This Recipe of the Month
selection comes from Anne Willan's newest release: Anne
Willan Cooking With Wine (2001) published by Harry N.
Abrams, Inc. in association with COPIA: American Center for
Wine, Food, and the Arts.
