Veal Marsala

During my travels in Italy there were a few traditional dishes I had to try. Although I was fortunate to try lamb ragu, veal scaloppini, mussels, nutella crepes, pizzas, antipasti and an abundance of wines there were many more I did not get to try. I guess that just means there is an excuse to go back.

One dish that stood out was veal marsala. The cut is obviously extremely tender with a warm silky smooth textured wine and mushroom sauce coating it. The whole porcini and cremini mushrooms absorb so much of the liquid that they pop in your mouth. Desiring that culinary experience again and to reminisce about the cute cobble stoned alley where we dined my husband and I made a mouth-watering veal marsala. The recipe was from non other than Cooking Light, an Italian magazine and website that provides some wonderful quick yet delectable Italian dishes.

1 pound veal scaloppine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
2/3 cup beef consommé
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry marsala wine
1 cup presliced mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Dredge veal in flour. Combine 1 T flour and broth, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add veal, cook 1 1/2 minutes. Turn veal over; cook 1 minute. Remove veal from pan.

Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth mixture, mushrooms, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until thick. Return veal to pan; sprinkle with parsley.

Veal Piccata with Pumpkin Polenta

Having recently been to Italy, I have been craving veal scaloppini with porcini mushrooms. I had this dish a few times while in Rome and Venice and it was so delicious - light, tender and served with a nice silky wine and mushroom sauce. I was going to make this same dish and eventually we get around to doing that. However I decided to try something different and went with a Veal Piccata recipe from Cooking Light Italian.

To celebrate the fact that fall is here I served it with some colourful pumpkin polenta. I have always found polenta to be dry and not overly flavourful. The addition of the pumpkin really enhanced the flavour and texture, that I have new found hope for polenta.

Veal Piccata

(Printable Recipe)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg white
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
4 (2-ounce) veal cutlets
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
Lemon wedges (optional)

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Combine water and egg white in another shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Place breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in flour mixture. Dip floured cutlet in egg white mixture; dredge in breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cutlets to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add broth, rind, juice, and capers to pan; simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over cutlets; serve immediately. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Pumpkin Polenta

(Printable Recipe)

1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 cups water
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups instant dry polenta
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmesan

Bring milk and water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pumpkin and salt; stir with a whisk. Reduce heat to low, and gradually whisk in polenta; cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat. Add 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, cream cheese, and sage; stir until cheeses melt. Top with shaved Parmesan. Serve immediately.