Receta Mario Batali's Chicken Saltimbocca with Asparagus
Mario Batali
A few months ago, I went to my friend Monique’s for
lunch. She served a phenomenal dish that
Chef Mario Batali had offered up in Food and Wine Magazine. Ever since I went to school in Rome, I’ve
loved Saltimbocca alla Romana, the
Roman version of a dish popular from southern Switzerland to all the way down to the capital city. Saltimbocca
translates to ‘jump in the mouth’ which is about as high praise as any dish can
get. The original dish uses Veal topped
with prosciutto and sage. In Rome, chefs
add another dimension by rolling up the veal, prosciuttoExpensive but worth every penny.
and sage and cooking
the rolls in dry white wine. Sweet
Marsala wine is an option but most Roman chefs think this overpowers the
delicate flavor of the Veal. Mario
Batali has substituted chicken cutlets and he makes his sauce using Vin Santo, literally Holy Wine, a sweet
dessert wine from Tuscany. And there
lies the reason why I had waited all these months to make the dish. It was well worth the wait.
Communion of the ApostlesVin Santo is made
using dried white grapes. It gets its
name because it was very often used as Communion wine as seen in this painting
of the Communion of the Apostles from the collection of the Duc de Berry. In
addition to its ties to holiness, Vin
Santo also has the distinction of being incredibly expensive. A small bottle of Vin Santo can set you back
anywhere from $16.00 to something only the Vatican could afford. Now I will confess to having tried to
substitute a much less expensive sweet wine, a Moscato, in this dish. It just
didn’t work. I gritted my teeth and
sprung for the real thing. Andrew and I
were not disappointed. So while I wish
this dish were a bargain, it really is no such thing. The least expensive item on the ingredients
list is the boneless chicken breasts.
But once you’ve wrapped them in the requisite prosciutto, they’re twice
the price. In this case, they’re
worth every penny. The crisp prosciutto
covers the chicken and sage with salty goodness, the sweet asparagus is not
only a perfect partner, it makes the dish look glorious. And then there’s the Vin Santo and butter,
coating the chicken with a sauce you won’t be able to get enough of. So treat yourself to a dinner that’s quick and easy to
prepare and tastes expensive…because it is.
Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Mario Batali’s Chicken Saltimbocca with
Asparagus
Serves 4. Easily
Halved. Takes 45 minutes start to
finish.
- Eight 3-ounce chicken cutlets, pounded
- 1/8-inch thick
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1.Cook the asparagus in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until
- crisp-tender, 4 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water; drain and pat
dry.
2. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper and place sage leaves on
each cutlet.
3. Wrap each cutlet in a slice of prosciutto, pressing to adhere.
Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in flour, dusting off
the excess; transfer to a baking sheet.
4. Set a rack over a baking sheet. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil
in a large skillet. Add half of the chicken and cook over moderately high heat,
turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer
the chicken to the rack. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and chicken.
5. Add the vin santo and stock to the skillet and boil over moderately
high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter.
Pour half of the sauce into a bowl.
6. Add half of the chicken and asparagus to the skillet and cook over
moderate heat until hot, 2 minutes. Season with salt; stir in half of the
parsley.
7. Transfer the chicken and asparagus to plates and pour the sauce on
top. Repeat with the remaining sauce, chicken, asparagus and parsley.