A Zeal for Italian Veal: 10 Recipes - Dinner Tonight - Cooking

New Zeal for Italian Veal: 10 Delicious Recipes

No Comments | Written on April 9, 2012 at 5:00 pm, by The Editors

Veal Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Parsley-Butter Sauce

Fresh parsley is underrated. Here,it lends a lively, fresh note to classic veal piccata.

Veal Scaloppine with Marsala

The caramel notes of Marsala wine give this lush pan sauce additional richness.

Veal Scaloppine

The bright, briny tang of capers is the key to this classic dish of veal pounded thin and topped with tomato sauce.

Creamy Veal and Mushrooms

This creamy stew is low-fat, but you’d never know it—evaporated milk gives it a velvety texture.

Veal Spiedini

This dish—slices of veal rolled around a filling of prosciutto, pine nuts, and mozzarella—practically screams “Sunday Supper.”

Pappardelle with Veal Ragu

Veal is amazing in sauce—its delicate texture means it cooks down to create a silky pool of flavor.

Osso Buco

You can’t go wrong with osso buco—veal shanks slow-cooked with vegetables are easy to make, but make a big impression.

Meatball Spiedini

Skewered meatballs? Why not? These little skewers (spiedini) make a playful meal or appetizer.

Smoky Tomato-Braised Veal Shoulder with Potatoes

A supermarket staple—canned fire-roasted tomatoes—lend this dish a complex, smoky flavor.

Orecchiette with Veal, Capers, and White Wine

The classic flavors of a veal piccata are used to great effect in this lovely pasta dish.

Veal is one of those ingredients that just feels special. It takes care and effort to produce, and the resulting meat is amazingly tender and full of flavor. If you’re concerned about the ethics of eating veal, talk to your butcher—there are an increasing number of producers concerned with raising veal humanely and sustainably. (Also see the Certified Humane website for more information and sources.)

Although many nations embrace veal, perhaps none as iconically as Italy. Veal piccata—thin slices of pounded veal bathed in a butter and white wine sauce—is a classic, as is veal scaloppine, which can be topped with anything from a simple tomato sauce to a rich pan sauce made from Marsala wine. Whether you’re making meatballs or a veal ragù, the idea is to bring out the delicate texture and flavor of the meat, not bury it under loads of aromatics or herbs.

We’ve got 10 great Italian veal recipes to suit any palate. Invite some friends over, pop open a bottle of Chianti, and enjoy.