Thread: Dinner Tonight, 7/31/2009

"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Veal piccata. I have four lovely thinly sliced veal scallops. Now I just
> need to find a decent lemon at one of the vegetable and fruit markets.
>
> Ingredients:
>
> Flour, salt, pepper
> 4 veal scallops, pounded thin

You say they're already thinly sliced... do NOT pound them or they will cook
up dry and tough... if really not so thinly sliced as you like simply slice
them thinner, but do NOT pound. Only tough cuts of meat should be
mechanically tenderized by breaking up the fibers but then they are cooked
long and slow (braised). Veal cutlets for piccata are cooked quickly over
high heat for no more than 1 minute per side. Pounding meat, especially
tender cuts, to make it thinner is something foodtv imbeciles tout because
they are so poorly skilled with a knife. It's easy to slice a 3/8" scallop
into two 3/16" cutlets; lay flat on a board and press lightly with the
stiffened palm, then with a sharp wide knife (chefs) held parallel to the
work surface and at a 45º angle carefully slice through the middle of the
scallop, applying light pressure only on the back stroke-while bringing the
knife towards you... with practice one should be able to make 1/16" thk
slices.. one will be able to feel the blade through the meat and rock the
palm away from the knife edge while slicing. The trick is not to apply any
more pressure than the knife needs to slice while moving... do not push a
non moving blade/you will cut yourself. When the palm is kept stiff with
fingers elevated and the blade edge tipped downward ever so slightly it is
impossible to cut yourself, the worst can occur is that the cutlet will
finish up tapered... practice on boneless skinless chicken breasts, they're
easier because the grain/fibers run horizontally. Never ever under any
circumstances pound meat thin, not unless you want to resole your shoes.
You spent good money for that veal, why pound it into shoe leather.
Actually everyone who owns a meat pounding mallet should right now toss it
in the trash. Even with tough cuts you do not want to mechanically
tenderize by breaking/crushing the fibers, you want to shorten the fibers
by cutting them cleanly... ask your butcher to pass it through the cubing
machine or buy an inexpensive jaquard tenderizer. This is also the problem
with cheap/undersized meat grinders, they crush and extrude the meat more
than cleanly slicing the fibers (smearing).

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:39:46 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Jill

Well done, Jill. I could have sworn I was reading my own recipe.

I'm sure they were delicious. As veal is hard to find where I am,
I made do with chicken breast "cutlets" and pounded slices of
pork loin. Both work well.

An amusing anecdote: While in BudaPest last year, I ordered
the BecsiSzelet, which is WienerSchnitzel, AKA Veal Picatta in
drag.

The cutlet I got was the size of a baseball glove. It was heavily
breaded and the meat was a greyish-brown. Imagine an old
chicken-fried steak, deep fried in old oil, served as veal. I suspect
it was round.

I sent it back to the kitchen, but they were indifferent and
I paid the full price. Oh, you don't like it? Tough $**t.

With the week, I ordered the same dish at a restaurant not
3 blocks away, and was served an absolutely elegant and
delicate cutlet. And cheaper.

This is one of the world's classic dishes, IMHO. Simple in
principle, easy to make, I mean in that part of the world
any pubescent female who watched mama knew how to
throw a cutlet! But I wander.

Thanks for posting this. I commend it.

Alex, making chick paprikas for one tonight.

BTW: I like chicken fried round steak, but with white
gravy well laced with BP.

"Chemiker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:39:46 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>Jill
>
> Well done, Jill. I could have sworn I was reading my own recipe.
>
Thank you! Yes, delicious. And three left over for lunch and dinner next
week.

> I'm sure they were delicious. As veal is hard to find where I am,
> I made do with chicken breast "cutlets" and pounded slices of
> pork loin. Both work well.
>
I've made chicken picatta as well.

> An amusing anecdote: While in BudaPest last year, I ordered
> the BecsiSzelet, which is WienerSchnitzel, AKA Veal Picatta in
> drag.
>
> The cutlet I got was the size of a baseball glove. It was heavily
> breaded and the meat was a greyish-brown. Imagine an old
> chicken-fried steak, deep fried in old oil, served as veal. I suspect
> it was round.
>
I'm not surprised they tried to toss off beef round as veal. I used to have
a hard time finding veal myself.

> With the week, I ordered the same dish at a restaurant not
> 3 blocks away, and was served an absolutely elegant and
> delicate cutlet. And cheaper.
>
Excellent!

> This is one of the world's classic dishes, IMHO. Simple in
> principle, easy to make, I mean in that part of the world
> any pubescent female who watched mama knew how to
> throw a cutlet! But I wander.
>
That's funny! My mother hated to cook. I watched her put frozen Freezer
Queen family dinners in the oven, usually salisbury steak in gravy, served
with boxed mashed potatoes. She once asked me where I got my cooking gene
because it sure wasn't hers. LOL

> Thanks for posting this. I commend it.
>
Thank you again for thanking me.\

> Alex, making chick paprikas for one tonight.
>
> BTW: I like chicken fried round steak, but with white
> gravy well laced with BP.

I love chicken fried steak with white gravy and lots of pepper

Jill

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:48:36 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>"Chemiker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]. .
>> On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:39:46 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
>> wrote:

>Jill

BTW, Jill, you threatened to kill me once. Do you recall?

Alex, asking for your silence on details.....

In article <[email protected]>,
"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Veal piccata. I have four lovely thinly sliced veal scallops. Now I just
> need to find a decent lemon at one of the vegetable and fruit markets.
>
> Ingredients:
<snipped and saved>
> Place the veal scallops on a platter and pour the sauce over the top.
> Garnish with slices of lemon and fresh sprigs of parsley. Serve with salad
> and/or a very simply dressed pasta. Throw in some toasted bread, if you'd
> like
>
> Jill

This sound really interesting, thanks!
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

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"Chemiker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:48:36 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>"Chemiker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected] ..
>>> On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:39:46 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>
>>Jill
>
> BTW, Jill, you threatened to kill me once. Do you recall?
>
> Alex, asking for your silence on details.....


Killfile, maybe. Kill? I'm not a violent person.

Jill

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:27:27 -0500, Omelet <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> "jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Veal piccata. I have four lovely thinly sliced veal scallops. Now I just
>> need to find a decent lemon at one of the vegetable and fruit markets.
>>
>> Ingredients:
><snipped and saved>
>> Place the veal scallops on a platter and pour the sauce over the top.
>> Garnish with slices of lemon and fresh sprigs of parsley. Serve with salad
>> and/or a very simply dressed pasta. Throw in some toasted bread, if you'd
>> like
>>
>> Jill
>
>This sound really interesting, thanks!

I had a new york strip steak on garlic toast, with mashed potato, fresh peas,
and sliced large mushrooms sauted in garlic, butter and white wine. Topped off
with a piece of orange cheesecake with a lime drizzle, and two cups of
expresso.

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:14:11 -0500, Stu <[email protected]> wrote:


Topped off
>with a piece of orange cheesecake with a lime drizzle, and two cups of
>expresso.

That cheesecake sounds interesting!

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:33:30 -0600, Christine Dabney
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:14:11 -0500, Stu <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> Topped off
>>with a piece of orange cheesecake with a lime drizzle, and two cups of
>>expresso.
>
>That cheesecake sounds interesting!
>
I'd make a regular cheesecake, but instead of using lemon I'd use
orange. I think would I prefer lemon, because orange would be too
sweet for me.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.