Boneless Veal - Parmigiana My Way

This year is a Year of Meat.  Yep, got that.  But additionally, this has also been a Year of Recipes.  Not having looked back at what I did for every one of the 36 cuts prepared to date, I'd venture to guess that a good 80% of them were prepared via a recipe I had not previously made.  And that's a good thing, because it means I'm not only preparing new cuts of meat, but I'm experimenting with new ingredients, leveraging different preparations and perhaps most importantly, I'm using appliances and cookware that doesn't get its fair share of use.  All good.  BUT...there is also a rewarding aspect of not using recipes.  Now, I'm not talking about the tried and true preparations I've used pre-Year of Meat.  I'm talking about having learned enough about cooking, ingredients and cuts, that I can venture out on my own and prepare a meal sans handbook.  For me, this week, that was Wednesday night and Veal Parmigiana!

First, let me say that my recipe-less evening is a bit of a stretch.  I start with a batch of my homemade pasta sauce, courtesy of many a phone call with my non-measuring Italian grandmother, who coached me through several iterations of spaghetti and meatballs from a thousand miles away.  But let me tell you (and I even told my grandmother this the last time we spoke), I nailed her sauce.  It is sooo good.  So, starting with that, Veal Parmigiana is bound to be good.  But, let me tell you.  The quality of this Veal Parmigiana did not end with the sauce.  It merely started there, and only got better.  For you, I give you this advice, use your favorite red sauce.  Whatever that is.  Your own recipe?  A favorite relative's?  Even a favorite jar?  It's all fine.  Start with that, and warm it up and have it ready.  Additionally, get your water boiling for some pasta.  With Veal Parmigiana, pasta is simply the side (or the bed).  Not a focal point, but a necessity.  Just make sure you time the pasta to correspond with veal's readiness.

So..to the Veal.  I got boneless cutlets from Paulina Market.  I prepared three plates (I used big dinner plates with a high lip).  The first was just equal parts flour and traditional bread crumbs with salt and pepper.  The second was two eggs whipped into a scramble (uncooked of course).  And the third was equal parts panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, with a healthy dose of dried basil, salt and pepper.  I took each cutlet, and led them down that procession, maximizing the amount that would stick in each phase, but shaking off any excess before the next phase.  What I was left with were some heavily coated cutlets with panko and Parmesan ready to pan fry.  I took a large cast iron skillet, and got a half inch of olive oil heated up over medium/high heat.  I then laid the cutlets in and let them cook for about 2.5 minutes per side.  If the oil is hot enough, this will create a nice thick golden brown crust on each side.  I then took the cutlets and laid them on a baking sheet and sprinkled them with a layer of Parmesan cheese.  I then ladled some of the warm pasta sauce over them, and topped them with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.  I put them into the oven on broil at the top rack to get the cheese to melt and turn golden.  If you time it right, the sauce and cheese get hot and melty, but the crust doesn't soften from the sauce.  Nailed it!

Served these with some angel hair pasta and some of the homemade sauce.  Delightful.  And the bottle of Chianti didn't hurt either.

36 down, 25 to go!