Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, or with your own homemade fresh pasta, and lemon garlic green beans.
What is veal piccata?
Veal, a meat much-loved by Italians, is considered a delicacy. The calves, from which veal comes from, are raised on a purely milk-based diet, which is what makes the meat so soft on the tooth. Being favoured for its tender texture and milder-than-beef flavour, veal balances beautifully in a rich lemony butter sauce. Sliced to specific slimness, the veal cutlet is gently coated in seasoned flour and lightly fried, putting this naturally sweet, melt-in-the-mouth meat at the heart of the dish. It is then bathed in a luscious pool of sauce unctuous with butter, spikey with tart lemon juice, and tingling with the brininess of plump green capers. And the whole decadent dish can be put together in under 25 minutes!
What cut is it anyway?
The cut for veal scallopini, or scaloppine in Italian, is usually taken from the rump of the calf. Unlike its grown-up counterpart, the calf’s rump is not a tough time-worn muscle but soft and pliable, making it a truly unique meat. For veal piccata, the meat is then ‘scalloped’, sliced keenly in half to slimmer dimensions, and given a light pounding to flatten further. But don’t panic! You needn’t perform this scalloping surgery yourself! Either ask your experienced butcher to do it or buy them ready scalloped. You might have already come across this method without even realising; as this dish is Italian, I’m referring to it as veal scallopini, but French recipes would call for a veal escalope, and in English, it’s known as a veal cutlet. Sound familiar now?
Storage and leftovers
This delectable dish will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. In that time the flavours of the sauce will intensify and permeate the meat further. Make sure it’s wrapped up tight to prevent it permeating anything else. To reheat, set the oven low, add a splash of water or stock to your pan, cover with foil to prevent drying and heat for 15 minutes or until the meat is hot in the middle. If you want to freeze leftovers, try to separate the veal from the sauce. In freezer-safe containers, they can be stored for up to 3 months. To cook from frozen, follow the instructions above but add on 10 minutes cooking time.
More Italian Beef Recipes to Try
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew Stuffed Shells with Pesto and Tomato Beef Sauce Italian Beef Ragu Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese
