Veal Cutlet “Milanese”

Cotoletta alla Milanese is, as the name says, a dish typical of Milan. It is somewhat similar to the Wiener-Schnitzel and there have been much debate on the true origin of this dish. Lombardia has been for long time under the domination of the Austian empire and without any information it is difficult to speculate where the dish has been "invented". The main difference is that the “Milanese” is cooked with the bone and “Wiener” is without the bone. Let’s just say that the Cotoletta is from Milan and the Wiener-schnitzel from Vienna and everyone is happy.

 Cotoletta is in Italian a loin chop cooked with its bone attached. "Cotoletta alla Milanese" is a veal cutlet breaded and fried in butter. It is a very simple preparation but some basic rules need to be followed in order to do it right.

 In Milan, where the Milanese cutlet originates, only choice veal chops from suckling calves are used, the ones that have been fed only mother's milk, otherwise the meat will result stringy and tough. The cotoletta is cut with the bone, and approximately about 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) thick, same thickness as the bone. The meat is then pound slightly to make it thinner and have it cook easily.

 Butter is one of the most important component. The “cotoletta” need to be thoroughly cooked, golden without brown spots. Normal butter would burn and make it look ugly. For this reason you need to use clarified butter that can resist much higher temperatures without burning in the pan. Clarified butter is really easy to make or can be bought in any supermarket.

 Finally the breadcrumbs should be very finely grated from a soft white bread or the interior of the bread loaf. And of course the eggs need to be very fresh.

2  veal loin chops, with bone 
2 eggs, lightly beaten
 2 cups very fine ground breadcrumbs 
8 tablespoons clarified butter 
Salt  
2 lemon wedges

 Place the pan on medium heat.

Clean the bone removing the skin if necessary. Trim away the skin around the cutlet. Pound lightly the meat to make it thinner.

Dip the cutlets in the egg first.

Dredge the cutlets in the breadcrumbs.

 Press hard over the cutlets with the palm of the hand to adhere the bread to the surface of the meat.

 Put the clarified butter in the pan.

** Please note the clarified butter shown in the picture was freshly made, and therefore still liquid. If the butter was kept refrigerated it would be solid.

 When the butter is hot place the cutlets in the pan and fry slowly for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden.

 Remove the cutlets, place briefly on a kitchen paper towel to eliminate some of fat from the surface. Sprinkle with salt. Serve hot with one lemon wedge on the side.

Vitello Tonnato - Veal with Tuna Sauce

In summer when the temperature starts rising many turn away from eating meat, considered an heavy food to digest. Vitello Tonnato also known as Veal Tonne’ It is a perfect cold dish for summer lunches. It was created in Northern Italy, most probably in Lombardia. The recipe seems to have French influences but it is authentic Italian, as even Pellegrino Artusi has this recipe in his book La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene, published in 1891.  Very popular in the 1960s it is a very simple dish with many variations that can accommodate any taste.

for the meat:

1 whole onion, approx 4 oz (100 gr)

2 cloves

1 whole carrot, approx. 4 oz (100 gr)

1 whole celery stick

1 whole fresh tomato, approx. 4 oz (100 gr)

1 whole fresh tomato approx. 100 gr

salt and pepper

2 lb (approx. 1000 gr) veal

4-5 quarts (4-5 liters) water

for the sauce:

1/2 lb (200 gr) canned tuna fish in oil

4 anchovy fillets

3 tbl.spn. capers

1 lemon, juiced

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1.5 caps mayonnaise

for the decoration:

3 lemon slices

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon capers

Stick the cloves in the onion. Fill a stock pot with water, add carrot, celery, onion, tomato, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and add the veal. Cook for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and cool at room temperature. Place the meat in the refrigerator  for 3 - 4 hours. Filter the broth and reserve for a different preparation.

 In a food processor put tuna fish.

Add anchovies, capers, lemon juice, oil, and run the blade to reduce to a very fine and smooth paste. If the sauce is too dense add 2-3 tablespoons broth to obtain the right consistency. Transfer the mix to a bowl, stir in the mayonnaise, and mix until obtaining an homogeneous paste.

Cut the meat in thin slices, place in a serving place, and cover with the sauce. The preparation can be kept in the refrigerator overnight if necessary. Garnish with lemon slices, capers, parsley just before serving.

Saltimbocca "alla Romana"

Saltimbocca are veal scaloppini prepared very simply by assembling together slices of tender veal, prosciutto, and fresh sage leaves. 

< The name means ‘jump into the mouth’ the idea being that saltimbocca is so delicious that [it] prompts you almost by its own volition to pop a piece of it in without hesitating for an instant > as Waverly Root, famous journalist and food writer describes them.

Scaloppini are very popular in Italy, but in the United States it is quite difficult to find a butcher who knows how to properly cut them. Scaloppini are thin slices of veal cut from the top round, and the slices should be cut across the vein of the muscles so that the fibers of the meat are short and the meat is tender. If they are cut along the vein, as they usually are in the US, the meat curls and toughens while cooking. To help prevent the meat from toughening, make the slices very thin and thump them with a meat.

While there are many variations on this dish with the addition of cheese or Marsala wine, we opted for the simplest recipe, as it is cooked in Roman kitchens. (Please keep your cooking simple .... )

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Veal Scaloppini with Prosciutto and Sage

see also http://www.annamariavolpi.com/saltimbocca.html

2 oz (60 gr) flour
salt
4 veal scaloppini  slices,  about 1 lb (approximately 450 gr) 
4 prosciutto slices,  approximately 
3 oz (80 gr) 
4 leaves of fresh sage 
2 – 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
3 tablespoons (40 gr) butter
pepper

1/2 cup (120 cc) dry white wine

Put the flour on a large plate and add a pinch of salt. Dredge the veal slices in the flour, so that they are all well covered on both sides. Shake away the excess flour.

Place on each slice of meat, a slice of prosciutto ....

... and a leaf of fresh sage.

Secure the three together with a toothpick.

In a large frying pan, put the oil and the butter, and turn the heat to medium. When the butter begins foaming, place the meat in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Be careful about salt as prosciutto is generally quite salty already.

Fry gently on both sides until light brown.

Add the wine, turn the heat to medium high, and let the wine evaporate. Place on individual plates, covering the slices with the sauce and serve warm.