By Odette Williams | Photography by Matt Russell for WSJ
Saltimbocca is one of those timeless dishes I love to order out but rarely make at home. I think that's true for many people. Maybe we fear that if we learn how simple they are to cook, it will take away the magic? I can assure you, it won't.
I'd been thinking of this saucy Roman dish of veal swaddled in prosciutto. Then, serendipitously, I managed to snag a table at the delightful Manhattan restaurant Borgo, and guess what was on the menu?
I devoured it and desperately wanted to lick the plate clean. Instead I politely dragged my finger across until not a skerrick of the luxurious sauce remained. The next day I reached out to Borgo's executive chef, Jordan Frosolone, to learn how I could pull off that restaurant-worthy dish and its glossy sauce at home.
You pound sliced veal loin thin, dot it with sage leaves and wrap it in prosciutto. At Borgo they then dust the meat with Wondra, a finely milled flour available at most supermarkets that dissolves quickly, ensuring the sauce won't get stodgy as it thickens. Frosolone sautés the meat in clarified butter until it's 90% cooked through, basting as it cooks. He transfers it to a warm sheet pan to hang out while he makes the sauce. More clarified butter goes into the pan along with a few sage leaves, and he deglazes with a housemade veal stock simmered with wine until unctuous.
Do try this at home. I did, and I came up with a couple of hacks while I was at it. You can reduce the white wine, then add a good stock (from your local butcher, if possible). That's the method in the recipe below. Alternatively -- and honestly, even better -- use D'Artagnan's Veal Demi-Glace (available online) in place of the stock. It's rich and gelatinous, so you won't need to simmer it as long to get the right consistency.
To finish, return meat to pan, uncooked-side down, for a minute. Then, off heat, swirl in a little cold, cubed butter to emulsify the pan juices into a glossy sauce. Right at the end, add finely chopped parsley, sliced caperberries if you have them, and lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick or splits, add a splash of water to the pan to bring it back together.
At Borgo they garnish the dish with paper-thin slices of lemon. To get those wafer-thin slices at home, pop a lemon in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm it up before slicing.
Amazingly, you can do all that in under 30 minutes. Good cooking isn't difficult; it's just paying attention to the details.
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September 25, 2025 16:00 ET (20:00 GMT)
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