Veal Piccata

The word piccata describes the preparation of slicing meat thinly, pounding it, and cooking it in a lemon, wine, and caper sauce. Veal piccata, more common on the menus of Italian restaurants in the United States than it is in Italy, has its origins in the 1930s when veal was less expensive than chicken, hence it was used more frequently. I spotted it on several menus, both in Rome and southern Italy, but the best I’ve ever had was in the Roman kitchen of my friend Diane Seed.

It was the first of many times I cooked with Diane, and I’ll always remember pounding the delicate slices of veal and frying them in a skillet drizzled with olive oil. She stressed that although Italians cook with olive oil almost exclusively, they never let it get to the point of smoking when heated, which diminishes the oil’s flavor. The morning we fried the veal cutlets, she used a light olive oil instead of extra virgin, which is intended for cooking at very low temperatures. We made a lemony sauce with a big splash of Vermentino, Diane’s favorite white wine from Sardinia.

We plated our veal piccata over angel hair pasta tossed in extra virgin olive oil, which is the only way I serve it now. I prepare this dish often for dinner parties and family gatherings, occasionally substituting chicken for the veal. And of course I enjoy it with a bottle of Vermentino. 

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Ingredients

Serves 6

Veal Piccata: 

• 6 (2-ounce) veal cutlets

• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/3 cup dry white wine

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

• 1/4 cup drained capers

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

• 16 ounces angel hair pasta
  6 (2-ounce) veal cutlets

• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/3 cup dry white wine

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

• 1/4 cup drained capers

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

• 16 ounces angel hair pasta

Process

Place veal cutlets between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, lightly pound the cutlets to 1/4” thickness.  Sprinkle cutlets with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.  Mix 1 tablespoon butter and 1 ½ tablespoons flour in small bowl until smooth. Put remaining flour in shallow baking dish. Dip cutlets into flour to coat; shake off excess. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add cutlets to skillet and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. This may have to be done in 2 batches. 

Transfer cutlets to a platter; tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. In the same skillet, bring wine, lemon juice and broth to boil over medium-high heat for 8 minutes. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in capers, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 8 cups of water to boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and angel hair pasta. Stir and cook for 6 minutes. Drain pasta and pour onto a platter. Place cutlets on pasta and top with sauce. Serve immediately.