Veal Marsala

If you are not a fan of veal, you can substitute chicken for the veal.  Be sure to use sweet (not dry) Marsala in this recipe.  Also, I used pancetta, an Italian bacon which is not smoked.  If you do not have access to it, you can also use three slices of bacon, chopped.


Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour
6 veal cutlets
3 T. olive oil
3 oz. pancetta, finely chopped
8 oz. white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. tomato paste
1½ c. sweet Marsala
1½ T. fresh lemon juice
3 T. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, and chilled
2 T. fresh parsley


Adjust oven rack to the middle position;  heat to 200º.  Spread flour in a shallow dish.

Place each veal cutlet into a plastic Ziploc bag.  I use a rolling pin to pound it down to approximately ¼ inch.  This helps to tenderize the meat and cook evenly.

 

Salt and pepper the veal cutlets.  Heat 2 T. olive oil in a skillet over high heat.  Dredge veal cutlets in flour and pat off excess; place in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 10 minutes.  Transfer cutlets to a plate in the oven to keep warm until all cutlets have been thoroughly cooked.

 

Add remaining 1 T. oil (you may need additional oil) and return to medium-high heat.  Add pancetta and mushrooms; cook until pancetta is crisp and the mushrooms are brown.

 

Stir in garlic and tomato paste.  Cook until the paste begins to brown, about one minute.  Stir in the Marsala, scraping up any brown bits; simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 8 minutes.

 

Stir in lemon juice and any accumulated juices from the warming dish.  Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, one piece at a time.  Off the heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Return cutlets to pan and warm.  Serve over cooked noodles.