Veal Marsala Ala Karen

We never buy veal for our table as Bev doesn’t think it is beefy enough and it’s usually pretty pricy, but when it becomes available for free and it can be used in a flavorful dish, now that’s a whole nother story.  I’ve mentioned on here many times that our neighbor across the street raises cattle and when he had a calf that was seriously injured and had to be put down, he had it butchered and put it in his freezer.  The neighbors are also not big fans of veal and I think it’s the same beefy issue that Bev has, so when I saw Karen’s recipe for Veal Marsala on her Back Road Journal blog, I thought this might be the perfect way to use some. 

While we have a Marsala recipe that we have used for both chicken and pork, we decided it would be nice to try a different one – check out Karen’s blog for the original recipe and a tempting photo.  I amended the recipe for five servings and the meat we had and that is the recipe I’ve shown below.

Veal Marsala – Adapted from Back Road Journal

Ingredients:

12 veal rib chops, bone, tail, and outside fat removed (we ended up with 1½ pounds of meat)

Salt and pepper to taste

Flour for dusting

3 Tbsp. butter plus an additional 6 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 shallots, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

24 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used Baby Bella)

1 7/8 C. Marsala wine

18 oz. container of veal demi glace or beef stock (see note)

2 Tbsp corn starch

5 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

Note:  I roasted the trimmed bones and scraps along with some onion, garlic, carrot, and celery for about 45 minutes in a 350* oven.  Then I added this to a sauce pan, covered with water, and simmered for a couple of hours.  After straining, I ended up with four cups of rich stock.  I reduced this to two cups, added a can of beef consommé and reduced to the 18 ounces I needed.  Since it wasn’t demi-glace, I dissolved two tablespoons of cornstarch in it before adding it to the dish.

Directions:

1. After trimming, flatten the meat to about ¼ inch (I used my rubber mallet)

2. Pat the veal dry with paper towel, season each side with salt and pepper then dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.

3. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. oil over medium high heat. Without crowding, add some of the veal and sauté briefly 1 to 1½ minutes per side just until it turns a light golden brown, being careful not to overcook. Remove the veal from the pan and set aside.  (I kept it warm in a 120* oven)

4. Repeat as needed with another Tbsp. butter, olive oil and the veal until it’s all cooked. 
5. Using the same pan, add 2 Tbsp. of butter, the shallots and garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.

6. Add an additional 2 Tbsp. of butter, the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. 
7. Sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown.

8. Add the Marsala and cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until the wine is reduced by half.

9. Dissolve the corn starch in the beef broth, add to the pan, and simmer until reduced by half.  (The sauce would have been too thin without the cornstarch).

10. Stir the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter into the sauce, taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Add three tablespoons chopped parsley.

11. Return the veal to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Turn to coat and simmer the veal no more than a minute to heat through as the veal will dry out if even slightly overcooked. 

We served it over a pound of narrow egg noodles, which had been cooked al dente, drained, and added back to the hot cooking pan.  I tossed it with three tablespoons each of butter & EVOO, and two tablespoons of chopped parsley, then added the lid to keep it warm while the veal finished.

The meal got rave reviews from everyone as we all really liked Karen’s recipe.  Before she even got out of bed the next morning, Bev commented again about how much she liked it.  Thanks Karen for an outstanding meal.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

12/11/14 meal date