One of my dearest friends, Gloria McArdle, was in the newspaper business in Queens, New York. She lived life to its fullest and loved to take me to all the fabulous restaurants in her neighborhood. Many were just little hole-in-the-wall places, but the food they served was the best I’d ever eaten. One of those places was run by an Italian fella by the name of Jimmy. I have to say here, that Jimmy was a fabulous chef, and made the best Veal Piccata I had ever tasted! And, the real treat was, that if you wanted, you could take your glass of wine right into his kitchen, to say “Hi!” and watch him while he cooked. Eating at Jimmy’s was like being a guest in his own home.
The only problem was that Jimmy ran with a rather, shall we say, “rough” crowd, and always seemed to be in trouble for “something.” Whatever that “something” was, no one dared ask. Unfortunately, for his loyal customers, this meant that his sous chef took over while Jimmy went “on vacation” (aka “doing time”) for a few months.
But, as soon as the word was out on the street that Jimmy was “back in town”, Gloria would race to the city, pick me up and we’d head straight for his restaurant. That little hole-in-the-wall would be jammed to the rafters with happy people, all enjoying every precious moment, savoring some of the best Italian food in all of New York.
Veal Piccata
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
15 mins
TOTAL TIME
25 mins
INGREDIENTS
8 veal medallions (pounded to ¼ - inch thickness)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup flour (for dredging- seasoned with a little more salt and pepper)
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
⅓ cup chicken stock
1 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice)
1 fresh lemon (thinly sliced)
2 fresh garlic cloves (minced)
1 tablespoon capers (drained of juice)
INSTRUCTIONS
After you’ve pounded down the veal medallions, salt, and pepper each medallion. Then, pour your flour out onto a plate or pan, sprinkle the flour with a little extra salt and pepper, mix it in, and then dredge each medallion in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess flour and place the dredged veal medallions in a pan or on a plate.
Get out your 12- inch skillet and heat the 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the butter is all frothy, add the medallions, a few at a time, so as not to crowd them, and so they will cook evenly. Cook the medallions about 1 ½ minute on each side, until golden brown. Once they are cooked, transfer them to a plate while we make the sauce.
In the same skillet, add the wine to the drippings in the skillet, and scrape the bottom of the pan to get up all those tasty bits as you de-glaze the pan. Bring this to a boil and cook this for about 3 minutes ‘til it cooks down.
Now, add the chicken stock, the lemon juice, the garlic, and the capers. You may want to add another tablespoon of butter. Also, add the lemon slices and bring this to a boil and cook for another 4-5 minutes until thickened.
Once the sauce is thickened, return the veal medallions back into the skillet in order to heat them back up, by spooning some of the sauce over the veal. After they are thoroughly heated, (it only takes about a minute or so) sprinkle them with a little freshly chopped parsley and serve them up on a big platter covered with the sauce and lemons and parsley. Really nice with some angel hair pasta served on the side.