My late husband (Why do they call it late? He’s not coming back, unfortunately, so he’s not late for anything.) would always order this dish – Veal Milanese – if it was on the menu. I would think, yuck, fried meat. Fattening. I’ll never have that.
I had been so conditioned as a child that fried things were SO fattening that I shouldn’t ever go near them.
And just look what I’ve been missing out on!!
With Covid-19…
In this Covid-19 time, anytime there is something new in the grocery store, excitement, almost giddiness, bubbles up. Well at my little local store upstate, they had veal scaloppine in the meat case!! Bingo! Something different – I’m in!
So now what to do with it?
Veal Milanese!
Of course, I always loved the salad part. Because I also love warm meat with a cool salad, this seemed to hit the spot. The true recipe calls for arugula but I substituted these mizuna greens – so delicious and a tiny bit bitter – so yummy – but hard to find and the season is short. You can use any greens you like but I would not recommend romaine. I used it once here and the greens really need to be softer in this case.
Have fun with the salad part
But have some fun with the salad part! You can use large tomatoes and slice thinner wedges, or skip the cheese and add thinly sliced radishes. Anything goes to your heart’s desire!!
Well I made this once, and then I made it again and again within 2 weeks!
In all honesty, the panko crumbs and cheese mixture were enough for at least 2 servings, but then I did have to add to it for the third round. The second time I made it with a pork chop! Equally delicious, just a little more cooking time in the oven as I opted to not pound it thin.
And then the third time, they had veal scaloppine again.
It is often hard cooking for one and getting portions right or making sure you’re not eating the same thing four times in one week.
The anniversary of Steve’s passing is TODAY. It is three years since he’s been gone and sorely missed by all of us. We had a family Zoom call recounting “Steve stories”.
So count your blessings, enjoy and cherish what you have today and don’t let a day go by without telling the people you love that you love them.
VEAL MILANESE – serves 2
Ingredients
1/3 cup flour
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus a little extra for shaving over the top
1/2 cup Panko, pound more finely with a rolling pin or wooden mallet
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 veal scaloppini, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness, about 6 ounces each
About 1/3 cup Canola oil
2 big handfuls of baby arugula, or mizuna, or other soft farmer’s market lettuce
8 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters, or 1 large tomato cut into thin wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, cut in half
Directions
Place flour in one shallow bowl or pie plate and beaten egg in a second. Combine parmesan and Panko in third and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dredge veal in LOVE, flour, then egg. Allow excess egg to drip off, then transfer to Panko mixture. Turn to coat evenly, pressing crumbs in so they adhere. Transfer scaloppini to a large plate.
Add oil to a small skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering and some Panko crumbs dropped in the oil immediately start bubbling. Carefully add one piece of veal to hot oil. Cook, until golden brown on the first side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Carefully turn with tongs and cook until second side is golden brown, about 1 minute longer. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent oil from burning—veal should bubble steadily. Transfer veal to paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with fine sea salt. Repeat with second veal scaloppine.
Toss arugula, tomatoes, and some of the extra parmesan shavings in a medium bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Immediately serve the veal topped with the salad and additional parmesan.
Alternatively, you can use a pork chop. If not pounded thin, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Dip in flour, egg and panko and fry for 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel lined ovenproof plate. Then place in the oven for 5 – 7 minutes until the instant read thermometer registers 140 degrees.
Top with salad and enjoy!!
