Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [172]
Veal Scaloppine with Ham, Anchovies, Capers, and Grappa
For 4 servings
3 tablespoons butter
4 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described), chopped very fine
¼ pound boiled unsmoked ham, sliced ¼ inch thick and diced fine
1½ tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed as described if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar, and chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flour, spread on a plate
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
3 tablespoons grappa (see note below)
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Note Grappa is a pungently fragrant distilled spirit made from pomace, a residue of winemaking. It is usually obtainable in stores stocking Italian wines, but it can be substituted with marc, a French spirit made like grappa. If neither is available, use calvados, French apple brandy, or a good grape brandy.
1. Put half the butter into a small saucepan, turn on the heat to very low, and add the chopped anchovies. Stir constantly as the anchovies cook, mashing them to a pulp against the sides of the pan with a wooden spoon. When the anchovies begin to dissolve, add the diced ham and chopped capers, and turn up the heat to medium. Stir thoroughly to coat well, cook for about 1 minute, then remove the pan from heat.
2. Put the oil and remaining butter in a skillet, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, dredge the scaloppine in flour and cook them exactly as described in Step 2 of Veal Scaloppine with Marsala.
3. Tip the skillet and spoon off most of the fat. Return to medium-high heat, add the grappa, and while it simmers quickly use a wooden spoon to loosen all cooking residues on the bottom and sides. Add the ham and anchovy mixture from the saucepan to the skillet and any juices the scaloppine may have shed on the plate, and stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly. Add the cream, and reduce it briefly while stirring.
4. Return the scaloppine to the skillet, and turn them in the hot sauce for about a minute until they are completely warm again. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Veal Scaloppine in Parchment with Asparagus and Fontina Cheese
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