Anytime I eat Italian, I look for veal on the menu. I love veal, but my wife Nancy? Not so much. She once lived on a cattle farm and remembers the mother cows in mourning for their lost calves after the trucks came to take them away. I tried to explain that those calves weren’t to be used as veal calves, but as steers where they would graze in lush pastures, grow to a half-ton and then hit the stockyards, but the damage was done. As a result, I never have the opportunity to cook veal unless Nancy is away. Last week, she went out to eat with some old high school friends, so I went to Kroger’s and bought two veal cutlets. Now, what sauce?
One of my favorite dishes is Veal Marsala but I don’t cook it at home because I never have any “marsalas” lying around. But Marsala isn’t a fruit, spice or a vegetable, it’s a wine and adds a richness to any dish. When paired with portabella mushrooms, it makes you want to go out and catch yourself a “veal”.
If it was to be Veal Marsala, I needed some Marsala wine. Marsala is produced in Sicily in the region surrounding the iTalioan city of Marsala. It can be either sweet or dry. I bought a bottle of Taylor’s Sweet Marsala Wine, at Food Lion of all places, and it worked well.
Once you have a bottle of Marsala and some veal cutlets, the rest is fairly simple. Pound the cutlets to about 1/8-inch, dredge in a ¼ cup of flour with salt and pepper and put in a medium hot skillet with olive oil. Brown on both sides and remove. Scape the pan drippings, add ½ cup of butter, a cup sliced portabellas, ½ cup Marsala wine, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook about 10 minutes, then add the cutlets. Finish in about five minutes and serve.
By the way, in Italy, Veal Marsala is never served on a pasta but in this county, many chefs do. The sauce is so good, it really is a stand-alone dish, but suit yourself. Also, you can do Veal Marsala with any cut of veal, it doesn’t have to be a cutlet. If it’s a tender chop, it wouldn’t need pounding. Whatever looks good and is on sale is my mantra.
Below is a recipe for 4 servings of Veal Marsala – assuming no one lived on a cattle farm
Veal Marsala
8 veal cutlets
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh portabellas, sliced
1/2 cup Marsala wine