The Veal Trilogy: Volume 3

Just as Veal Piccata with lemon and capers is a classic preparation, so too is veal scaloppini with mushrooms. Seeing as it is white truffle season, I thought it might be interesting to incorporate one into a simple mushroom sauce in the hope of elevating it from just delicious to spectacular!

Before describing how it turned out, I wanted to comment on the need to pound veal. In many recipes, one is instructed to do so, but what purpose does this serve? Here are three potential reasons. The first is if one wants to make the veal (chicken or fish for that matter) thinner. You may remember from my first post that piccata refers to a very thin slice of meat or fish in Italian, hence the purported need to pound it.

However, thinner isn’t always better. If for example, one will be breading the meat, you don’t want it too thin, as then the ratio of bread to meat will be out of balance.

From a purely practical point, pounding thinner also makes it “bigger” by increasing its surface area. This has for me the detrimental consequence of occupying too much room in the pan. Fresh from the butcher, I can cook three pieces at a time, but if pounded thin, I might be able to only get one piece in the pan, and certainly no more than two.

In these three preparations, even though I didn’t bread the veal, I still chose not to pound it. That has to do with the third reason one might do so, and that is to tenderize it. However, if you have purchased a quality piece of veal to start (see Volume 1), then it should already be tender. You want the meat to have some texture, so no need to further tenderize it by pounding it.

So how did it turn out? Well, of the three dishes, this was my least favourite. Indeed it was disappointing despite having saved it for last in anticipation of it being the best. The fault maybe didn’t lie so much in the elements, but the balance, and in particular too much chilli flakes and a past prime white truffle, (a story in of itself for another day) which was lost adding very little to the dish. The adage "simple pictures are best was never truer".

I hope you enjoyed following this three-part exploration of veal, albeit brief. Next up, maybe foie gras or liquid nitrogen. Let me know if you have a preference!

Veal ready to be dusted in flower with salt and pepper (Kosher and fresh ground respectively of course!)

EDIT- May 2023: You may have noticed that the veal pictured above is a reddish colour. As I have gleaned more about veal production, it would appear Red is the new White. White-fleshed veal had been considered by many, including me, to be better than darker-coloured veal. However, I have learned that this darker veal referred to as rosé veal, red veal, or grain-fed veal can be just as good.

Calves for rosé veal are generally fed a more “normal” diet consisting of both milk and cereal-based feed, without restriction of iron intake. The higher iron content creates meat that is darker in colour. While it isn’t the deep red of older, full-grown beef, it is definitively redder than white veal. Raising veal in this way is promoted as being “more ethical”. However, although these calves may have a healthier diet, they may still be reared in low welfare systems.

I hope your interest is piqued, and you will read the next instalment in a few days time, when in fairness, I must discuss the controversy surrounding veal.

Mise en Place: white button and porcini mushrooms, minced rosemary & chile flakes, and sliced garlic. Dont forget the chicken stock and butter!

And of course, the white truffle!

Vitello Con Salsa di Funghi e Tartufo (Veal with Mushroom-Truffle Sauce)

A lovely New World Pinot Noir from California. Yes, I know the bottle is empty; I forgot to photograph it before drinking!