Vivo O Sonho

This is one of those dishes that was inspired by a special at the market; I see a sale on a protein and build a menu around it. I’ve had veal piccata at restaurants but never tried cooking it myself. Traditional veal piccata is made without mushrooms, white wine is used instead of stock, and paper thin lemon slices are cooked on top of the cutlets in the oven while the sauce is made. I like a good challenge, so did a little research and came up with this recipe using ingredients and flavor profiles that we enjoy.

The combination of the creamy butter, bright citrus and salty capers would be equally delicious on chicken, turkey or pork. I prefer stock over broth as the flavors are deeper and the liquid thickens quicker. (Chicken or veggie stock can be used instead of beef stock.) Piccata is often served over pasta, but with the richness of the cutlets we found simple, steamed broccoli to be a nice side.

Ingredients:

• 4 veal cutlets pounded or sliced to 1/4 inch thickness
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 cup beef stock
• Juice from one lemon
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes ( or chopped fresh Italian parsley)
• 2 tablespoons capers

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
• Pat cutlets dry with a paper towel.
• Mix the flour and salt together on a plate and dredge cutlets until coated, shaking off excess.
• Heat half the butter in heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not bubbling.
• Saute 2 of the cutlets until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
• Transfer cutlets to a platter and place in oven.
• Repeat process with the remaining 2 cutlets.
• Add olive oil and garlic to skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, about one minute.
• Add stock and bring to a boil,  Add mushrooms and reduce heat to medium, cooking for approximately 2 minutes until mushrooms are cooked and sauce is thickened.
• Stir in lemon juice, capers and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Plate the cutlets and pour mushroom sauce on top.

Serves 2