Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca with Mangalitsa Bacon

Heritage pork saltimbocca with mangalitsa bacon

5 from 1 vote

Pork tenderloin saltimbocca with homemade bacon or prosciutto. Serve with wilted lambs quarters or your favorite cooked greens. Serves 4 as an entree

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Mangalitsa, Saltimbocca

Servings: Servings

Calories: 365kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Equipment

1 large skillet
1 Medium mixing bowl

Ingredients

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut into 8 equal sized pieces
Kosher salt and pepper8 paper slices of thin proscuitto pancetta, lardo or another cured meat or your choice
8 leaves of fresh sage optional, but traditional
All purpose flour as needed for dredging you can sub another flour (like a gluten-free one) if you like
1.5 cups chicken or pork stock preferably homemade
2 tablespoons unsalted butter mixed well with 1 teaspoon all purpose flour for finishing the sauce
+1 tablespoon¼ cup dry white wine
Fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste
1 small shallot diced ¼ inch, roughly ¼ cup
Fresh chopped Italian parsley to taste
¼ cup flavorless oil or lard for sauteing
1 lb gently wilted lambs quarters or another green, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Pound the pork tenderloins with a meat mallet between two sheets of plastic wrap until thin and even, about ¼ inch thick.
Place a sage leaf on the middle of each cutlet, then put a piece of whatever thin-cut pork you're using over it and press down or tap with the blunt end of a knife to secure it.
Season the other side of the meat with salt and pepper lightly, I don't season the bacon or ham with salt since it's already seasoned.
Heat the oil in a large skillet then, working in batches, dip each cutlet bacon-side down in the flour. Tap off any excess and fry, flour side down in the skillet until golden brown.
Remove each cutlet after browning to another dish or plate, trying to keep them as under-cooked as possible since you will reheat them in the sauce.
When all the cutlets are browned, discard the spent oil from the pan, then add the shallots and the tablespoon of butter and cook on medium heat until the shallots are starting to brown around the edges.
Add the wine to the pan, scrape up the browned bits and reduce by half.
Add the stock and the butter mixed with flour and whisk to break up the kneaded roux, simmer the sauce for a few minutes to thicken, then season to taste with fresh lemon juice and parsley.
Add the cutlets back to the sauce for a moment to heat them, or if your pan is too small, add the cutlets to the pan a few at a time to coat them in the sauce.
Divide the wilted greens between four plates, place two cutlets on each plate cascading over the greens, top with some additional sauce and serve immediately.

Notes

You can use prosciutto here, or any other type of cured meat you can slice very thin. Salami, pancetta, anything with good marbling that can be rendered can make a fun variation on the Italian classic. This is not a strict recipe, think of it as a general guide. Great with some wilted greens.

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