Artusi liked living in style, and for him truffles were a natural way to jazz up something humdrum like a veal cutlet. And they are good, though the more moderate in means among us might find his prosciutto variation, which closely resembles veal Parmigiana, better suited to our pockets.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- Veal scallops or cutlets (See below for exact quantities)
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Grated Parmigiano
- Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Oil or unsalted butter
- Finely sliced truffles
Preparation:
Artusi often starts in without giving quantities, and this recipe is no exception:
The best cut for this dish is the sotto noce (an internal muscle taken from the central to upper part of the thigh; scallops in English), though lean meat from the rest of the thigh or rump will serve. Cut the meat into thin slices the size of the palm of your hand. Pound them, wielding the pounder so as to give them an elegant form, say, heart shaped, in other words wide at the top and tapering towards the bottom. This is easier to do if the meat has first been scored. Marinate the slices in a mixture of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a touch of grated Parmigiano for two hours, dredge them in a beaten egg, and return them to the marinade for another two hours. Dust them with finely ground breadcrumbs and sauté them in butter in a copper pan. As soon as they've colored on one side, flip them and sprinkle the freshly cooked surfaces with finely sliced truffles; lay down a layer of Parmigiano or Swiss cheese over the truffles, slicing it as finely as possible too. Sprinkle the meat with broth and cover it, then continue cooking, placing hot coals on the lid of the pot, until the meat is done. Carefully remove the cutlets from the pan to a serving platter, squeeze a whole lemon, or a half if you've only done a few cutlets, into the sauce, and pour the sauce around the cutlets.
Lamb chops can be prepared in the same manner, after they have been boned. The wine? In either case a zesty red, for example a Chianti d'Annata or a Valpolicella.
In case you were wondering, Artusi wrote in the 1890s, before many modern conveniences including the broiler. Rather than put coals on the lid, heat your broiler, and finish cooking the cutlets with it.
A more modern recipe for Cotolette alla Bolognese reads very much like the Veal Parmigiana recipes one finds in English language cookbooks. Artusi also touches on this very tasty form of cutlet, which he unimaginatively calls col prosciutto, or, with prosciutto:
Cotolette col Prosciutto -- Cutlets with Prosciutto
Prepare the cutlets as described above, and set them to soak in the egg with very thin slices of prosciutto trimmed so as to be the same shape as the cutlets. Bread the cutlets, making sure the prosciutto sticks well to the meat, and sauté them in butter, with the prosciutto side up. Cover the prosciutto with thinly sliced Parmigiano or Swiss cheese, rather than truffles, and finish cooking the meat, covered, between two flames. Serve the meat with meat sauce and lemon juice, or with tomato sauce.
Artusi again has you use hot coals on the lid because he lacked a broiler. In using a broiler, once the meat is cooked sprinkle a few tablespoons of sauce over it and run it through a hot broiler. Now, most people use tomato sauce rather than meat sauce. The Wine? A zesty red.
The best cut for this dish is the sotto noce (an internal muscle taken from the central to upper part of the thigh; scallops in English), though lean meat from the rest of the thigh or rump will serve. Cut the meat into thin slices the size of the palm of your hand. Pound them, wielding the pounder so as to give them an elegant form, say, heart shaped, in other words wide at the top and tapering towards the bottom. This is easier to do if the meat has first been scored. Marinate the slices in a mixture of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a touch of grated Parmigiano for two hours, dredge them in a beaten egg, and return them to the marinade for another two hours. Dust them with finely ground breadcrumbs and sauté them in butter in a copper pan. As soon as they've colored on one side, flip them and sprinkle the freshly cooked surfaces with finely sliced truffles; lay down a layer of Parmigiano or Swiss cheese over the truffles, slicing it as finely as possible too. Sprinkle the meat with broth and cover it, then continue cooking, placing hot coals on the lid of the pot, until the meat is done. Carefully remove the cutlets from the pan to a serving platter, squeeze a whole lemon, or a half if you've only done a few cutlets, into the sauce, and pour the sauce around the cutlets.
Lamb chops can be prepared in the same manner, after they have been boned. The wine? In either case a zesty red, for example a Chianti d'Annata or a Valpolicella.
In case you were wondering, Artusi wrote in the 1890s, before many modern conveniences including the broiler. Rather than put coals on the lid, heat your broiler, and finish cooking the cutlets with it.
A more modern recipe for Cotolette alla Bolognese reads very much like the Veal Parmigiana recipes one finds in English language cookbooks. Artusi also touches on this very tasty form of cutlet, which he unimaginatively calls col prosciutto, or, with prosciutto:
Cotolette col Prosciutto -- Cutlets with Prosciutto
Prepare the cutlets as described above, and set them to soak in the egg with very thin slices of prosciutto trimmed so as to be the same shape as the cutlets. Bread the cutlets, making sure the prosciutto sticks well to the meat, and sauté them in butter, with the prosciutto side up. Cover the prosciutto with thinly sliced Parmigiano or Swiss cheese, rather than truffles, and finish cooking the meat, covered, between two flames. Serve the meat with meat sauce and lemon juice, or with tomato sauce.
Artusi again has you use hot coals on the lid because he lacked a broiler. In using a broiler, once the meat is cooked sprinkle a few tablespoons of sauce over it and run it through a hot broiler. Now, most people use tomato sauce rather than meat sauce. The Wine? A zesty red.
