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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Page 42

by Marcella Hazan


  2. Put the garlic into the pan at the same time with the butter and oil and remove it as soon as it becomes colored a light nut brown, either before or after you have begun sautéing the chops.

  Adapting the Milanese Style to Veal and Other Cutlets

  THE ITALIAN for cutlet, cotoletta, describes not the type of meat, but the method by which it is cooked. The method is the one described above in Sautéed Breaded Veal Chops, Milanese Style. To make cotolette—or cutlets—follow it exactly, simply replacing the chops with veal scaloppine, or thin slices of beef, or sliced chicken or turkey breast, or even sliced eggplant. When using meat sliced very thin, as for example scaloppine, the cooking time must be very brief, just long enough to form a light crust on both sides of the cutlet.

  Serving Suggestion for Breaded Veal Cutlets They are delicious, either hot or at room temperature, with a combination of Fried Eggplant, and Oven-Browned Tomatoes, both also good either hot or at room temperature.

  Sautéed Veal Chops with Sage and White Wine

  For 4 servings

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  4 veal loin chops less than 1 inch thick

  Flour, spread on a plate

  12 dried sage leaves

  Salt

  Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

  ⅓ cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon butter

  1. Choose a skillet that can subsequently accommodate all the chops at one time without overlapping. If you don’t have a pan large enough, choose a smaller one in which you can do the chops in 2 batches. Put in the vegetable oil, and turn on the heat to medium high.

  2. When the oil becomes hot, turn both sides of the chops in the flour, shaking off any excess flour, and slip the veal into the pan together with the sage leaves. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning the chops two or three times to cook both sides evenly. The chops are done when the meat is rosy pink. Don’t cook them much longer or they will become dry. Transfer to a warm plate with a slotted spoon or spatula, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  3. Tip the skillet and spoon off most of the oil. Add the wine and simmer it over medium-high heat until it is reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency. While it simmers, scrape with a wooden spoon to loosen cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan. When the wine has simmered away almost completely, turn the heat down to low and stir in the butter. Return the chops to the skillet briefly, turning them in the pan juices, then transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve at once.

  Sautéed Veal Chops with Garlic, Anchovies, and Parsley

  For 4 servings

  2 tablespoons butter

  1 teaspoon garlic chopped coarse

  2 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described), chopped very, very fine

  2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  4 veal loin chops less than 1 inch thick

  Flour, spread on a plate

  Salt

  Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

  1. Put the butter and garlic in a small saucepan and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic until it becomes colored a pale gold, then turn the heat down to very low, and put in the chopped anchovies. Cook, stirring the anchovies with a wooden spoon and mashing them against the sides of the pan, until they begin to dissolve into a paste. Add the chopped parsley, stir and cook for about 20 seconds, then remove from heat.

  2. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the chops without overlapping. Put in the vegetable oil and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil becomes hot, turn both sides of the chops in the flour, shaking off any excess flour, and slip the veal into the pan. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning the chops two or three times to cook both sides evenly. The chops are done when the meat is rosy pink. Don’t cook them much longer or they will become dry. Transfer to a warm plate with a slotted spoon or spatula, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  3. Turn the heat on to medium, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water, and, as you boil it away, scrape loose the cooking residues in the pan. Return the chops to the pan, and immediately pour the anchovy and parsley sauce over them. Turn the chops just once or twice, then transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve at once.

  Veal Stew with Sage, White Wine, and Cream

  THE MOST DESIRABLE cuts for an Italian veal stew are the shoulder and the shanks. Avoid the round or the loin, which are too lean for the prolonged cooking a stew requires, becoming dry and stringy.

  For 4 to 6 servings

  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  1½ tablespoons butter

  1½ pounds boned veal shoulder or shank, cut into cubes of approximately 1½ inches

  Flour, spread on a plate

  2 tablespoons chopped onion 18 dried sage leaves ⅔ cup dry white wine

  Salt

  Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

  ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream

  1. Put the oil and butter in a saute pan and turn on the heat to high. When the butter foam begins to subside, turn the veal cubes in the flour, coating them on all sides, shake off excess flour, and put them in the pan. Cook the meat, turning it, until all sides are deeply browned. Transfer it to a plate using a slotted spoon or spatula. (If the meat doesn’t fit loosely into the pan all at one time, brown it in batches, but dip the cubes in flour only when you are ready to slip them into the pan.)

  2. Turn the heat down to medium, and put the chopped onion in the pan together with the sage leaves. Cook the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, return the meat to the pan, and add the wine, bringing it to a lively simmer while scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browning residues. After half a minute or less, adjust the heat to cook at a gentle simmer, add salt, several grindings of pepper, and cover the pan. Cook for 45 minutes, turning and basting the meat from time to time. If the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, replenish it when needed with 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.

  3. Add the heavy cream, turn the meat thoroughly to coat it well, cover the pan again, turn the heat down to low, and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the veal feels very tender when prodded with a fork. Taste and correct for salt. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve at once.

  Ahead-of-time note Like most stews, this one can be prepared several days in advance and refrigerated until needed. Reheat it gently until the meat has been warmed through and through, either on the stove or in a preheated 325° oven. Add 2 tablespoons of water when reheating.

  Veal Stew with Tomatoes and Peas

  For 4 to 6 servings

  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  1½ tablespoons butter

  1½ pounds boned veal shoulder or shank, cut into 1½-inch cubes

  Flour, spread on a plate

  2 tablespoons chopped onion

  Salt

  Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

  1 cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped coarse, with their juice

  2 pounds fresh peas in their pods (please see note), OR 1 ten-ounce package frozen small peas, thawed

  Note If you are using fresh peas, you will add to their sweetness and that of the stew by utilizing some of the pods. It is an optional procedure, however, and if you choose to, you can omit it.

  1. Put the oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed pot or in enameled cast-iron ware, and turn on the heat to high. When the fat is hot, turn the veal cubes in the flour, coating them on all sides, shake off excess flour, and put them in the pan. Cook the meat, turning it, until all sides are deeply browned.

  Transfer it to a plate using a slotted spoon or spatula. (If the meat doesn’t fit loosely into the pan all at one time, brown it in batches, but dip the cubes in flour only when you are ready to slip them into the pan.)

  2. Turn the heat down to medium, and put the chopped onion in the pan. Cook the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, return the meat to t
he pan, add salt, pepper, and the chopped tomatoes with their juice. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, adjust heat so that they simmer slowly, and cover the pot. Turn the meat from time to time.

  3. If using fresh peas: Shell them, and prepare some of the pods for cooking by stripping away their inner membrane as described. It’s not necessary to use all or even most of the pods, but do as many as you have patience for. When the meat has cooked for about 50 minutes, add the peas and pods.

  If using frozen peas: Add them to the pot when the meat has cooked for about an hour.

  Cover the pot again, and continue cooking for about 1 or 1½ hours, until the veal feels very tender when prodded with a fork. If you are using fresh peas, taste them to make sure they are done; if you have to cook them longer, it will do the stew absolutely no harm. Frozen peas don’t need much cooking, but the longer they cook along with the veal the more their flavor becomes an integral part of the stew. Taste and correct for salt before serving.

  Ahead-of time note Please follow these suggestions.

  Veal Stew with Mushrooms

  For 4 to 6 servings

  3 tablespoons butter

  2½ tablespoons vegetable oil

  1½ pounds boned veal shoulder or shank, cut into 1½-inch cubes

  Flour, spread on a plate

  ½ cup onion chopped fine

  1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped fine

  ½ cup dry white wine

  ½ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice

  1 or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary OR 1 teaspoon dried leaves, chopped fine

  4 or 5 fresh sage leaves OR 2 or 3 dried whole leaves

  2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  Salt

  Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

  ½ pound fresh, white button mushrooms

  1. Put 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium saute pan, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, turn the veal cubes in the flour, coating them on all sides, shake off excess flour, and put them in the pan. Cook the meat, turning it, until all sides are deeply browned. Transfer it to a plate using a slotted spoon or spatula. (If the meat doesn’t fit loosely into the pan all at one time, brown it in batches, but dip the cubes in flour only when you are ready to slip them into the pan.)

  2. Turn the heat down to medium, put in the chopped onion, cook, stirring, until it becomes translucent, then add the garlic. Cook the garlic until it becomes slightly colored, add the wine, and let it bubble for a few seconds. Return the meat to the pan, then add the cut-up tomatoes with their juice, the rosemary, sage, and parsley, liberal pinches of salt, and several grindings of pepper. Adjust heat to cook at a steady, but gentle simmer, and cover the pan. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or more, turning the meat from time to time, until the veal is tender enough to be cut with a fork.

  3. While the meat is cooking, prepare the mushrooms. Wash them rapidly in cold running water, pat dry with a soft towel, and cut them into irregular ½-inch pieces.

  4. Choose a skillet or saute pan just large enough to contain them snugly, but without overlapping. Put in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and ½ tablespoon vegetable oil, and turn on the heat to medium. When the butter foam subsides, put in the cut-up mushrooms, and turn up the heat to high. Cook, turning them frequently, until they stop throwing off liquid and the liquid they have already shed has entirely evaporated. They are now ready for the stew.

  5. When the stew has cooked for at least 1 hour, put in the mushrooms, tossing them thoroughly with the meat, and cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for another 30 minutes or so and, when the meat feels very tender when tested with a fork, transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter, and serve at once.

  Ahead-of-time note The dish may be completed several hours in advance the same day you are going to eat it, and reheated gently just before serving.

  Skewered Veal Cubes and Pork Sausage Pan-Roasted with Sage and White Wine

  THE STYLE in which these tasty skewers are made is called all’uccelletto in Italian because it is the treatment one reserves for uccelletti, small birds: panroasting with pancetta and sage. Ideally, they should be served as one would serve such birds, over hot, soft polenta.

  For 6 servings

  1¼ pounds mild pork sausage made without strong spices or herbs

  20 whole sage leaves, fresh if possible

  1 pound boneless shank or shoulder of veal, cut into 1½-inch cubes

  ½ pound pancetta in a single slice, unrolled and cut into 1½-inch pieces

  Approximately 12 skewers, 6 to 8 inches long

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  ⅔ cup dry white wine

  1. Cut the sausages into pieces 1½ inches long. Skewer the ingredients alternating 1 piece of sausage, 1 fresh sage leaf, 1 piece of veal, and 1 piece of pancetta. At the end you may run short of some of the components, but make sure there is at least one of each kind on every skewer. If using dried sage leaves, do not skewer them because they will crumble. Put them loose in the pan later, as directed in the next step.

  2. Choose a saute pan broad enough to contain the skewers. Put in the oil, turn on the heat to medium, and when the oil is hot, put in the skewers. If using dried sage, add all of it to the pan now. Turn the skewers, browning the meat deeply on all sides. If the pan cannot accommodate all of the skewers at one time without stacking them, put them in in batches, removing one batch as you finish browning it, and putting in another.

  3. If you have browned the skewers in batches, return them all to the pan, one above the other if necessary to fit them in. Add the wine, turn up the heat just long enough to make the wine bubble briskly for 15 or 20 seconds, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pan, setting the lid slightly ajar.

  4. Cook for 25 minutes or so, turning the skewers from time to time and bringing to the top any that may be on the bottom, until the veal feels sufficiently tender when prodded with a fork. It does not need to become quite as soft as stewed veal or ossobuco. When done, transfer the skewers to a warm serving platter, using tongs or a slotted spoon or spatula.

  5. Tip the pan and spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Pour ⅓ cup water into the pan and boil it away over high heat, while using a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides. Pour the reduced juices over the skewers and serve at once.

  Vitello Tonnato—Cold Sliced Veal with Tuna Sauce

  ITALY’S MOST CELEBRATED contribution to the cold table, vitello tonnato, is a dish as versatile as it is lovely. It is an ideal meat course for a summer menu, an exceedingly elegant antipasto for an elaborate dinner, and a most successful party dish for small or large buffets.

  I have seen dishes described as vitello tonnato served with the sliced veal prettily fanned out and a little mound of sauce on the side. This defeats the very purpose of the dish, which is to give the tuna sauce time to infiltrate the veal so that the flavors of one and the delicate texture of the other become fully integrated. The meat must macerate with the sauce for at least 24 hours before it can be served.

  Some cooks braise the veal with white wine, but I find that wine contributes more tartness than is needed here. Veal can become dry; to keep it tender and juicy, cook it in just enough boiling water to cover, determining in advance the exact amount of water needed by the simple expedient described in the recipe. Three other important points to remember in order to keep the meat moist are, first, put the veal into water only when the water has come to a full boil; second, never add salt to the water; third, allow the meat to cool completely while immersed in its own broth.

  If delicacy of flavor and texture are the paramount considerations, veal is the only meat to use. Breast of turkey and pork loin, however, offer excellent alternatives at considerably less cost.

  For 6 to 8 servings

  FOR POACHING THE MEAT

  2 to 2½ pounds lean veal roast, preferably the t
op round, firmly trussed, OR turkey breast OR pork loin

  1 medium carrot, peeled

  1 stalk celery without the leaves

  1 medium onion, peeled

  4 sprigs parsley

  1 dried bay leaf

  FOR THE TUNA SAUCE

  Mayonnaise prepared as described, using 2 egg yolks, 1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil (see note below), 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt

  1 seven-ounce can imported tuna packed in olive oil

  5 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described)

  1 cup extra virgin olive oil

  3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  3 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed as described if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar

  Note This is one of the rare instances in which olive oil in mayonnaise is really to be preferred. Its intense flavor gives the dish greater depth. Please see warning about salmonella poisoning. If you would like to omit the mayonnaise, make the sauce doubling the quantity of tuna, adding 1 anchovy fillet, 1 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

  SUGGESTED GARNISH

  Thin slices of lemon

  Pitted black olives cut into narrow wedges

  Whole capers

  Whole parsley leaves

  Anchovy fillets

  1. In a pot just large enough to contain the veal (or the turkey breast or pork loins), put in the meat, carrot, celery, onion, parsley, bay leaf, and just enough water to cover. Now remove the meat and set it aside. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil, then put in the meat and when the water resumes boiling, cover the pot, adjust heat to cook at a gentle, steady simmer, and cook for 2 hours. (If it’s turkey breast, cook it about 1 hour less.) Remove the pot from heat and allow the meat to cool in its broth.

 

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