For 4 servings
½ pound fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons butter plus butter for dotting the finished dish
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Flour, spread on a plate
A baking dish
Cooking parchment or heavy-duty aluminum foil
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
6 ounces fontina cheese
⅓ cup dry Marsala wine
1. Trim the asparagus spears, peel the stalks, and cook the asparagus as described. Do not overcook it, but drain it when it is still firm to the bite. Set it aside until you come to the directions for cutting it later in this recipe.
2. Put the butter and oil in a saute pan, and turn on the heat to high. When the butter foam begins to subside, take as many scaloppine as will fit loosely at one time in the pan, dredge them on both sides in the flour, shaking off excess flour, and slip them into the pan. Brown the veal briefly on both sides, altogether a minute or less if the fat is very hot, then transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon or spatula. Add another batch of scaloppine to the pan, and repeat the above procedure until you have browned all the meat.
3. Preheat oven to 400°.
4. Choose a baking dish that can subsequently accommodate all the scaloppine snugly, but without overlapping. Line it with cooking parchment or a piece of heavy aluminum foil large enough to extend well beyond the edges of the dish. When working with foil, take care not to tear it or pierce it. Lay the scaloppine flat in the dish, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
5. Cut the asparagus diagonally into pieces that are no longer than the scaloppine. If any part of the stalk is thicker than ½ inch, divide it in half. Top each of the scaloppine with a layer of asparagus pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
6. Cut the cheese into the thinnest slices you can. Do not worry if the slices are irregular in shape, they will fuse into one when the cheese melts. Cover the layer of asparagus with one of cheese slices.
7. Pour off and discard all the fat from the pan in which you browned the veal, but do not wipe the pan clean. Add to it any juices that the scaloppine may have shed on the plate and the Marsala. Turn on the heat to medium high, and scrape loose with a wooden spoon the browning residues on the bottom and sides, while reducing the juices in the pan to about 3 tablespoons.
8. Spoon the juices over the layer of cheese, distributing them evenly. Dot lightly with butter. Take a sheet of parchment or foil large enough to extend past the edge of the baking dish and lay it flat over the scaloppine. Bring together the edges of the lower sheet of parchment or foil and those of the upper sheet, crimping them to make a tight seal. Put the baking dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven and leave it in for 15 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt.
9. Take the dish out of the oven, and open the parchment or foil wrap, taking care to direct the outrushing steam away from you so as not to be scalded by it. Cut away the parchment or foil all around the dish and serve as is or gently lift the scaloppine out using a broad metal spatula, and transfer them to a warm serving platter without turning them over. Spoon the juices in the baking dish over them, and serve at once.
Messicani—Stuffed Veal Rolls with Ham, Parmesan, Nutmeg, and White Wine
For 4 servings
⅓ cup crumb, the soft, crustless part of bread, preferably from good Italian or French bread
⅓ cup milk
2 ounces boiled unsmoked ham, chopped fine
2 ounces pork, ground or chopped fine
1 egg
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
Whole nutmeg
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Sturdy round toothpicks
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flour, spread on a plate
⅓ cup dry white wine
½ cup Basic Homemade Meat Broth, prepared as directed, OR ½ bouillon cube dissolved in ½ cup water
1. Put the crumb and milk in a small bowl. When the bread has soaked up the milk, mash it to a creamy consistency with a fork, and pour off all excess milk.
2. Add the chopped ham, pork, egg, grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, a tiny grating of nutmeg—about ⅓ teaspoon—and the bread and milk mush, and mix with a fork until all ingredients are evenly combined. Turn the mixture out on a work surface and divide into as many parts as you have scaloppine.
3. Lay the scaloppine flat on a work surface. Coat each with one of the parts of the stuffing mixture, spreading it evenly over the meat. Roll the meat up into a sausage-like roll, and fasten it with a toothpick inserted lengthwise to allow the roll to be turned easily later when cooking.
4. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the veal rolls in a single layer, put in the butter and oil, and turn on the heat to medium high. Dredge the rolls in flour all over, and when the butter foam subsides, slip them into the pan.
5. Brown the meat deeply all over, then add the wine. When the wine has bubbled away for a minute or so, sprinkle with salt, put in the broth, cover the pan, and turn the heat down to cook at a gentle simmer.
6. When the veal rolls have cooked all the way through, in about 20 minutes, transfer them to a warm platter. If the juices in the pan are thin and runny, turn the heat up to high and reduce them, while scraping loose with a wooden spoon cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan. If on the other hand, they are too thick and partly stuck to the pan, add 1 or 2 tablespoons water, and while the water boils away, scrape loose all cooking residues. Pour the pan juices over the veal rolls, and serve at once.
Veal Rolls with Pancetta and Parmesan
For 4 servings
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
¼ pound pancetta, sliced very, very thin
5 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Sturdy round toothpicks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup dry white wine
⅔ cup fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, OR canned Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
1. Trim the scaloppine so that they are approximately 5 inches long and 3½ to 4 inches wide. Try not to end up with bits of meat left over that you can’t use. It does not really matter if some pieces are irregular: It’s better to use them than to waste them.
2. Lay the scaloppine flat and over each spread enough pancetta to cover. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and roll up the scaloppine tightly into compact rolls. Fasten the rolls with a toothpick inserted lengthwise so that the meat can be turned in the pan. If any pancetta is left over, chop it very fine and set aside.
3. Put 1 tablespoon of butter and all the oil in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, put in the veal rolls, and turn them to brown them deeply all over. Transfer to a warm plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove all the toothpicks, and sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper.
4. If you had set aside some chopped pancetta, put it in the skillet and cook it over medium heat for about 1 minute, then add the wine. Let the wine simmer steadily for 1½ to 2 minutes while using a wooden spoon to loosen cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the tomatoes, stir thoroughly, and adjust heat to cook for a minute or so at a steady simmer until the fat separates from the tomato.
5. Return the veal rolls to the pan, warming them up for a few minutes and turning them in the sauce from time to time. Take off heat, swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter, then turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Ahead-of-t
ime note These veal rolls don’t take that long to do and they taste best when served the moment they are made. If you must make them in advance, cook them through to the end up to several hours ahead of time, then reheat gently in their sauce.
Veal Rolls with Anchovy Fillets and Mozzarella
For 6 servings
8 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described)
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup chopped parsley
⅓ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained of juice
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ pound mozzarella, preferably imported buffalo-milk mozzarella
1½ pounds veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Salt
Thin kitchen twine
Flour, spread on a plate
½ cup dry Marsala wine
1. Chop the anchovies very, very fine, put them in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon of butter, turn on the heat to very low, and while the anchovies are cooking, mash them with a wooden spoon against the side of the pan to reduce them to a pulp.
2. Add the chopped parsley, the tomatoes, a few grindings of pepper, and turn up the heat to medium. Cook at a steady simmer, stirring frequently, until the tomato thickens and the butter floats free.
3. Cut the mozzarella into the thinnest slices you can, possibly about ⅛ inch.
4. Lay the scaloppine flat on a platter or work surface, sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt, and spread the tomato and anchovy sauce over them, stopping short of the edges to leave a margin of about ¼ inch all around. Top with sliced mozzarella. Roll up the scaloppine, push the meat in at both ends to plug them, and truss with kitchen twine, running the string once around the middle of the rolls, and once lengthwise so as to loop it over both ends.
5. Choose a skillet that can subsequently accommodate all the rolls without crowding them, put in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and turn the heat on to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, turn the veal rolls in the flour, shake off excess flour, and slip them into the pan. Cook for a minute or two, turning them, until they are browned deeply all over. If a little cheese oozes out of the rolls, it does no harm; it will help enrich the sauce. Transfer the meat to a warm plate, snip off the strings, and remove them, being careful not to undo the rolls.
6. Add the Marsala to the pan, bring it to a lively simmer for about 2 minutes, and while it is reducing use a wooden spoon to loosen cooking residues from the bottom and sides. Return the veal rolls to the pan, turn them gently in the sauce 2 or 3 times, then transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm serving platter and serve at once.
Veal Roll with Spinach and Prosciutto Stuffing
A SINGLE, large slice of veal is covered with spinach, sautéed with onion and prosciutto, rolled up tightly, and pan-roasted with white wine. When it is sliced, the alternating layers of veal and stuffing make an attractive spiral pattern, but what is more important is that it is juicy and savory, tasting as good as it looks.
To produce the dish, you need a single, large, one-pound slice of veal, preferably cut from the broadest section of the top round, and flattened by your cooperative butcher to a thickness of no more than ⅜ inch. The breast of veal, which is usually employed to make large rolls, does not lend itself well to this recipe because of its uneven thickness.
For 4 servings
1½ pounds fresh spinach
Salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons onion chopped very fine
¼ pound prosciutto OR pancetta chopped very fine
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
A 1-pound slice of veal, preferably from the top round (see remarks above), pounded flat to a thickness of ⅜ inch
Thin kitchen twine
½ cup dry white wine
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
1. Pull the leaves from the spinach, discarding all the stems. Soak the spinach in a basin of cold water, dunking it repeatedly. Carefully lift out the spinach, empty the basin of water together with the soil that has settled to the bottom, refill with fresh water, and repeat the entire procedure as often as necessary until the spinach is completely free of soil.
2. Cook the spinach in a covered pan over medium heat with just the water that clings to its leaves and 1 tablespoon of salt to keep it green. Cook for 2 minutes after the liquid shed by the spinach comes to a boil, then drain at once. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the spinach, chop it very fine with a knife, not in the food processor, and set it aside.
3. Put 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of oil, all the onion, and all the prosciutto or pancetta into a small saute pan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion until it becomes colored a rich, golden brown, and add the chopped spinach and several grindings of pepper. Stir thoroughly to coat well, and cook for 20 or 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Taste and, if necessary, correct for salt.
4. Lay the veal slice flat on a work surface. Spread the spinach mixture over it, spreading it evenly. Lift one end of the slice to look for the way the grain of the meat runs, then curl up the veal tightly with the grain parallel to the length of the roll. When you slice the roll after cooking, you will easily obtain even, compact slices because you will be cutting across the grain. Tie the roll securely into a salami-like shape with kitchen twine.
5. Choose a pot, oval if possible, in which the roll will fit snugly. Put in the remaining butter and oil, turn on the heat to medium high, and as soon as the butter foam begins to subside, put in the veal roll. Brown it deeply all over, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn the roll once or twice, and add the wine. When the wine has simmered briskly for 15 or 20 seconds, turn the heat down to low, and cover the pot with the lid set slightly ajar.
6. Cook for about 1½ hours, turning the roll from time to time, until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a fork.
Uncover the pot, add the cream, turn the heat up, and use a wooden spoon to loosen cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pot. Remove from heat as soon as the cream thickens a bit and becomes colored a light nut brown.
7. Transfer the roll to a warm platter. Snip off and remove the kitchen twine. Cut the roll into thin slices, pour over it the juices from the pot, and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note You can complete the recipe up to this point several hours in advance. Before proceeding, reheat gently, adding 1 tablespoon water if needed. Do not refrigerate at any time or the spinach will acquire a sour taste.
Sautéed Breaded Veal Chops, Milanese Style
SOME ITALIAN DISHES are so closely associated with their place of origin that they have appropriated its name for their own. To Italians a fiorentina means “T-bone steak,” and a breaded veal chop is una milanese: No other description is required. It can be debated whether ossobuco or the veal chop milanese is Milan’s best-known gastronomic export. The latter has certainly been appropriated by many other cuisines, most notably in Austria, where it was taken off the bone to become the national dish, wiener schnitzel.
The classic Milanese chop is a single-rib chop that has been pounded very thin, with the rib trimmed entirely clean to give the bone the appearance of a handle. (Do not discard the trimmings from the bone. Add them to the assortment of meats for homemade broth, or if you have enough of them, grind them and make meatballs.) Before pounding the chop flat, a Milanese butcher will knock off the corner where the rib meets the bone. Your own butcher can do this easily, but so can you: Use a meat cleaver to crop the corner, then pound the chop’s eye thin, following the method for flattening scaloppine.
When the chop is taken from a large animal, there may be too much meat on a single rib to flatten. Before pounding it, it should be sliced horizontally into two chops, one attached to the rib, the other not.
For 6 servings
2 eggs
&nbs
p; 6 veal chops, with either 6 or 3 ribs, depending on the size, the bones trimmed clean and the meat flattened (see explanatory remarks above)
1½ cups fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs spread on a plate
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
1. Lightly beat the eggs in a deep dish, using a fork or a whisk.
2. Dip each chop in the egg, coating both sides and letting excess egg flow back into the plate as you pull the chop away. Turn the meat in the bread crumbs as follows: Press the chop firmly against the crumbs, using the palm of your hand. Tap it 2 or 3 times, then turn it and repeat the procedure. Your palm should come away dry, which means the crumbs are adhering to the meat.
3. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate the chops without overlapping. If you don’t have a large enough pan, you can use a smaller one, and do the chops in 2 or even 3 batches. Put in the butter and oil, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam begins to subside, slip in the chops. Cook until a dark golden crust forms on one side, then turn them and do the other side, altogether about 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops. Transfer to a warm platter and sprinkle with salt. Serve promptly when all the chops are done.
Variation in the Sicilian Style, with Garlic and Rosemary
To the ingredients in the above recipe for Sautéed Breaded Veal Chops, Milanese Style, add the following:
Rosemary leaves, chopped very fine, 1 tablespoon if fresh, 2 teaspoons if dried
4 garlic cloves, lightly mashed with a knife handle and peeled
Use the basic recipe, varying it as follows:
1. Sprinkle the chops with chopped rosemary after dipping them into the egg, but before coating them with bread crumbs.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 41