Veal piccata

For ➍

600 g veal steaks

½ cup flour

50 g butter

3 dl olive oil

1.5 dl dry white wine

3 dl chicken stock

2 lemons*

30 g capers

flat leaf parsley

fresh pasta

parmigiano

arugula salad

sun dried tomatoes

white wine vinegar

Ask your butcher to flatten your veal steaks. Or place the pieces between plastic wrap that you have slightly moistened, and then gently flatten the meat with a large flat object such as a pan. .

Season the veal steaks to taste with salt and pepper and then roll them in the flour. Gently knock off the excess flour. 

Heat some butter and olive oil in a pan and fry the veal steaks for about one and a half to two minutes on both sides over a medium heat. Do not bake all the veal steaks at the same time, because then they will not have enough space and you will cook them rather than bake them. Remove the steaks when they are baked, cover them with aluminum foil, add butter and olive oil and fry the rest of the veal steaks.

Once the veal steaks are cooked, add the white wine and gently stir all the browning bits off. Let the wine reduce for a few minutes. Then add the chicken stock. Cut 1 of the lemons into thin slices, them  and let everything reduce by 7-8 m.*

Add 20 g of soft butter, some lemon juice, the finely chopped parsley and the capers and season with salt and pepper. Allow the butter to completely dissolve into the sauce over a low heat. 

Place the veal steaks in the sauce, make sure they are nicely covered, and let them warm up a bit over a low heat.

Serve with fresh pasta, with some olive oil and Parmigiano. Delicious with a rucola salad with some semi-sun-dried tomatoes with pepper, salt, some olive oil and a dash of white wine vinegar. Sprinkle some Parmigiano flakes on the salad.

*or replace lemon slices with lemon zest and add at the end

Chicken piccata

For ➍
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, butterflied (halved horizontally)
30 all-purpose flour, sifted
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs unsalted butter
2-3 tbs dry white wine
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs salt-packed capers, soaked in water for 20 m, then drained, rinsed, & drained again
1 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place chicken between plastic wrap or in plastic bag. Pound evenly until about 0.5 cm thick.*
Spread flour in a shallow dish; season with 1 ts salt and ¼ ts pepper; whisk to combine. Place chicken in seasoned flour, turning to coat thoroughly, then tap off the excess.
Heat the oil and 1 tbs butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan (the cutlets should fit snugly in a single layer) until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 m for each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Pour out any excess fat from the pan.
Return pan to medium heat and add wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 s. (If the liquid is reducing too quickly, before all the browned bits have been incorporated, remove the pan from the heat.) Remove the pan from the heat. Add lemon juice, capers, and remaining 2 tbs butter and swirl until melted and combined, then add parsley and season with salt as desired.***
Immediately pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve.***

*Or put the chicken between sheets of wax paper. Pound it with a hammer or a pan or use a rolling pin.
**Shallots or garlic can be added with capers and slices of lemon. After reduction, butter is stirred in to finish the sauce.
***Serve it, like the Italians, after the pasta as secondo. Serve with vegetables or a salad.

Several authorities believe the name veal piccata, like chicken Parmesan and pasta primavera, was coined by Italian Americans in the United States in the 1930s.
Piccata is an Italian word, the feminine form of the word piccato, meaning 'larded'. It is also spelled picatta or pichotta. It is a translation of the French piqué, participle of piquer. When used in reference to a way of preparing food, particularly meat or fish, it means 'sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter and spices'. In Italian, piccata dishes are often referred to using the umbrella term, scaloppine, of which piccata constitutes just one variety.
Traditionally, the Italians use veal (piccata di vitello al limone) or swordfish (pesce spada con capperi e limone). In the USA, the best known dish of this sort uses chicken (hence: chicken piccata). In the United States, it is usually served with a starch, such as pasta, polenta, or rice.
Try a quick chicken piccata recipe.