Veal Saltimbocca (Roman Sautéed Veal Cutlets With Prosciutto and Sage)

I found this recipe on the site, Serious Eats. It took less than 30 minutes to get this on the table. It looks fancy, but it was not a complicated recipe at all. 

Ingredients

4 veal cutlets (about 1/2 pound)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch fresh sage, divided
4 large, thin slices of prosciutto
Cornstarch, for dredging (about 1/4 cup)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup dry white wine
Fresh juice from 1/2 lemon, to taste
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Method-

Arrange cutlets on a work surface, cover with a sheet or two of plastic wrap, and pound each with a meat pounder or the bottom of a small heavy saucepan or skillet until no more than 1/4-inch thick throughout. 

Season lightly on one side only with salt and pepper.

Flip veal cutlets so that the salted side is down. 

Pick 4 of the largest sage leaves from your bunch and lay one in the center of each cutlet; if the sage leaves are small, use two per cutlet.

Lay a slice of prosciutto on top of each cutlet, sandwiching the sage leaves flat between them. 

Using two wooden toothpicks per cutlet, fasten the prosciutto to the cutlets (the easiest way is to push the toothpicks through the prosciutto and just into the veal, then back through the prosciutto again).

Pour about 1/2 cup of cornstarch into a wide, shallow bowl. 

Dredge the underside of each prosciutto-topped cutlet in the cornstarch, shaking off the excess.

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat until shimmering. 

Add the cutlets, prosciutto-side up, and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the cutlets are lightly browned on the bottom and the last traces of pink are visible on top at the edges. 

Using a thin metal spatula, flip all of the cutlets prosciutto-side down, then flip them back immediately. 

Transfer to a clean platter.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add butter and a few sprigs of sage to the skillet and cook until the butter is melted. 

Add white wine. 

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, then continue to cook, stirring and swirling constantly, until sauce is emulsified and slightly thickened (exact time can vary significantly depending on your skillet size and burner power; increase the heat at any time if it seems to be taking too long, or lower the heat if it's reducing too quickly).

Season with salt and pepper, then stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. 

Taste and add another teaspoon (or more) of lemon juice, if desired. 

Stir in soy sauce. 

If the sauce breaks at any point, whisk in a tablespoon or two of water to bring it back together. 

Discard sage sprigs. 

Pour the sauce all over the veal cutlets and serve right away.

Wiener Schnitzel

Perfectly cooked veal tonight! The recipe is from The Spruce Eats site.

Ingredients-

4 (5-ounce) veal cutlets (or chicken or pork cutlets)

1/4 cup all-purpose (or brown rice flour)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Oil or lard, for frying

4 slices lemon, garnish

Method-

Gather the ingredients.

Place 4 (5-ounce) veal cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap, and use a heavy, flat-surfaced pan, rolling pin, or meat mallet to pound the meat evenly to a 1/4-inch thickness.

To bread the schnitzels, set up 3 shallow dishes: 

Mix 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in the first dish, 2 large beaten eggs in the second dish, and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs in the third dish.

In a large skillet, heat at least 1/4-inch of oil to 350 F. 

This takes about 8 minutes, and the oil will just start to shimmer and smoke a bit.

Working one at a time, dredge the cutlets first in flour until the surface is completely dry.

Dip in egg to coat, allow the excess to drip off for a few seconds.

Then roll quickly in the breadcrumbs until coated. 

Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat, as this will moisten them and not make for a crispy coating. 

The crust should not adhere completely but form a loose shell around the schnitzel.

Immediately place the meat in the pan with the hot oil. 

Do not crowd the pan. 

Cook the schnitzel in batches, if necessary. 

Fry the schnitzel for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until golden brown. 

Make sure the breaded meat “swims” in fat. 

Contrary to instinct, the breading will take on less oil than if the meat is sticking to the pan. 

Also, the breadcrumb topping has a chance to puff up a little, and your cleanup is easier. 

You may want to swish them around a little with your fork to make sure they are not sticking to the pan.

Turn them over once and fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and the meat registers an internal temperature of 145˚F. 

Remove from the pan and allow the oil to drain off. 

Serve traditionally with lemon slices.

Veal Birds

My sister mentioned that she made this recently. And that our Mom used to make them. I did not remember ever having these. I think when it comes to veal recipes that my Mom would make it all stopped when she made that Stuffed Veal Pocket. It was so so so amazing. I had to have been in either 7th or 8th grade but I still remember how very good it was.

Anyway, Lenore gave me the recipe and I tried it. This was quite good. I should have cooked them a minute or two less than I did. But they were delicious. And easy to make! If veal was not so pricey this could be frequently made weeknight 30-minute meal.

The recipe -

Ingredients-

6 tbsp butter

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried dill weed

12 thin veal scallops (1 1/2lb)

3 cup soft bread crumbs

2 Tbsp flour

3/4 cup beef bouillon, undiluted

Method-

Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet and cook onion thru dill, 2 minutes. Mix the onions with the bread crumbs. Place 2 Tbsp of stuffing on each veal slice; roll up and secure w/ wooden pick. Then roll in flour. 

Heat remaining butter in skillet and brown birds on all sides. 

Add bouillon and simmer covered 30-35  20-25 minutes. 

Remove picks and spoon pan juices over birds.

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Veal Stew with Potatoes, Tomatoes and Oregano

This photo does not do this dinner justice. 

This meal was prepared yesterday. I was going to follow the recipe and bake it in the oven. But suddenly it was summer again. The air conditioning went on, and oven cooking not happening. 

But we have the slow cooker. I browned the veal and the onions on the stovetop and then everything went into the slow cooker.

Yesterday being a football day I made Pizza Roll-up as an appetizer. No, I did not take a photo. Too bad as they were quite good. After devouring them we did not want dinner. So we had the stew tonight.

Tonight we reheated the stew and Wow!! Really good. The meat was so tender. The only thing is I should have increased the salt and pepper. 

This recipe is from a 1997 issue of Bon Appetit that I was holding onto. It was the Italian Countryside Edition. I remember my mom made Veal Stew quite often when I was little. I have never tried making it. When I was flipping through the magazine I notice this recipe. The plus was that it was from the Campania Region.

On a side note, I have been subscribing to Bon Appetit for a number of years. My question is where have all the recipes gone? This is a photo of this months recipe list and the recipe list from May 1997.

Veal Stew with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Oregano

Ingredients-

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds veal stew meat, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces

16 boiling onions, peeled

1 1/4 pounds large red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried

1 1/2 12-ounce baskets cherry tomatoes, stemmed, halved

Method-

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle veal generously with salt and pepper. Add veal and onions to pot. Sauté until veal is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Mix in potatoes and oregano, then tomatoes. Bring stew to simmer. Cover pot; transfer to oven. Bake until veal and vegetables are tender, about 2 hours. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle stew into shallow soup bowls and serve.

Slow Cooker Method-

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle veal generously with salt and pepper. Add veal and onions to pot. Sauté until veal is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper.

Put potatoes and oregano, then tomatoes in the crockpot. Add veal and onions.  Cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours, I went for just 4 hours.

Ladle stew into shallow soup bowls and serve.

Veal Mattese

This weekend I was going through old recipe files. I found the recipe for Veal Mattese from a class I took at Quattro's in Guilford a few years ago. One of my husband's favorite meal at Quattro's in Guilford is Veal Mattese. This was quite good. I served the veal along with a side mashed potatoes, just like they do a Quattro's.

Ingredients-
1  lb. of veal scaloppini
salt and pepper
flour2 tbsp butter
8 large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
3 oz. white wine
1 tsp. marinara Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 lb. fresh spinach, blanched
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 tbsp chopped scallions, chopped


Method-
Dust the veal in flour, salt, and pepper.
In a saute pan melt the butter.
Sear the veal, 3 minutes per side. Add shrimp, white wine and marinara sauce.
Place blanched spinach on top of the veal along with the shrimp and mozzarella cheese. Let the sauce reduce in half and cover the pan to melt the cheese.

Veal Ossobuco with Barley Risotto

Tonight we turn to page 169 in Lidia's Favorite Recipes and find Veal Ossobuco with Barley Risotto. Veal Ossobuco is one of my husband's favorite meals.

I have never cooked veal. I once saw a farm that had the pens the veal lived in, literally.
I just felt bad. But I was reading the recipe, it sounded easy enough, and it's not like I clubbed the animals myself and heck we ate smoked pork neck last night so I decided to make this for dinner.

Time consuming... a bit but once everything was in the pot it was left alone to simmer for an hour and a half. And the barley is made in advance so no standing over a stove stirring, not easy to do when you are holding a cocktail glass in the other hand.

The taste was amazing! Of course my favorite part was the marrow and the barley! The only thing we were not over the top about was the orange flavor. It was not bad but just did not think it was really necessary. And of course I added crushed red pepper to my dish!

Happy New Year!