Ingredients

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 10 sage leaves
• 2 finely chopped
• ½ pear (ideally Williams)
• peeled
• cored and cut into small chunks
• 8 x 70g/2½oz veal escalopes
• trimmed
• 30g/1oz plain flour
• 4 prosciutto slices
• halved
• 150ml/¼ pint dry white wine
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 50ml/2fl oz sparkling water
• 50ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• 3 salted anchovies
• rinsed and cut into 1cm/½in pieces
• 25 sage leaves
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 10g unsalted butter
• 100g/3½oz pancetta or smoked bacon
• cut into cubes
• 2 spring onions
• chopped
• 200g/7oz broad beans or edamame
• defrosted if frozen
• 100g/3½oz peas
• defrosted if frozen
• 3 large globe artichoke hearts
• cut into 1cm/½in slices and placed in acidulated water
• 150g/5½oz Romaine lettuce
• chopped
• bunch fresh mint leaves
• torn
• 120ml/4fl oz vegetable stock
• 50g/1¾oz pecorino
• finely grated
• to serve

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. For the saltimbocca
• melt half the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Sprinkle over the sugar
• chopped sage and pear and cook for 10 minutes
• or until the pear is tender
• but still holds its shape. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Bash the veal out as thinly and evenly as possible
• then dust it with the flour and shake off the excess. Spoon a teaspoon of the pear mixture into the centre of each piece
• then press a half-slice of prosciutto on top. Add a sage leaf
• then skewer with a toothpick to hold everything in place.
• Gently heat the remaining butter in a large frying pan. Add the veal
• prosciutto-side down
• and cook for 2 minutes
• or until golden-brown. Turn carefully and cook for a further 2 minutes. Transfer the saltimbocca to a low oven to keep warm.
• Pour the wine into the pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the volume of liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency.
• For the fried sage
• in a bowl
• mix together the flour
• water and a pinch of salt to form a batter. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Sandwich the anchovy pieces between the sage leaves
• dip them in the batter and fry for about 1 minute on each side
• or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
• For the vignarola
• heat the oil and butter together in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and spring onions and cook
• stirring
• for 3–4 minutes
• until translucent. Add the broad beans
• peas
• artichokes
• lettuce and half the mint
• then pour over the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes
• or until the liquid has reduced by half. Season with salt.
• Put two saltimboccas on each plate
• drizzle with the syrup and garnish with the fried sage. Serve the vignarola alongside
• scattered with the pecorino and remaining mint.