BREADED VEAL CUTLETS WITH OLIVE-CAPER RELISH

Breaded Veal Cutlets with Olive-Caper Relish image

Categories Bread Olive Brunch Side Fry Dinner Veal

Yield serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

3/4 cup large green olives, pitted (10 or more olives)
3 tablespoons small capers, drained
4 small anchovy fillets, finely chopped (1 tablespoon)
Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed and strained
12 veal scallops, 3 ounces each
1 1/2 cups flour, or as needed
2 cups bread crumbs, or as needed
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil, or as needed
5 tablespoons butter, or as needed
Recommended Equipment
A meat mallet
A large sieve or colander
A wide, heavy skillet or sauté pan, preferably 14-inch diameter

Steps:

For the savory relish, chop the olives and the capers into small bits and stir together in a small bowl with the chopped anchovies and lemon juice.
Pound the veal scallops, one at a time, with the toothed side of the meat mallet, tenderizing and flattening them into very thin ovals.
Spread the flour in one large plate, and the bread crumbs in another. Pour the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl, and beat in the salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Set the colander or sieve in a bowl. Cover a tray or large platter with several layers of paper towel.
Dredge each cutlet in flour, coat well with egg, and lay it in the sieve to drain (return collected drippings to the egg bowl if needed). When all are in the sieve, coated with egg, start heating the 1/2 cup of oil and the butter together in the skillet over medium heat.
Bread four cutlets-or as many as will fit in the skillet in an uncrowded layer-pressing both sides in the platter of bread crumbs, so the crumbs adhere and cover the meat. When the butter is melted and bubbling, lay the cutlets in the pan, and fry until nicely colored on the underside, about 2 minutes, then flip and fry the second side another 2 minutes or so, until the veal is cooked and the coating is golden and crisp. Adjust the heat so the crumbs color gradually but don't burn.
Meanwhile, bread another batch of cutlets. Move the fried ones to the paper towels to drain, and clear stray bits of breading from the pan before laying in the next batch. Fry all the cutlets, clearing the skillet between batches and adding oil or butter if needed. Layer cutlets on the platter with paper towels in between to absorb oil, and keep them warm near the stove or in a low oven.
When all the cutlets are cooked and drained, lay two on a warm dinner plate for each portion. Scatter a generous tablespoon of the olive-caper-anchovy relish over the cutlets, and serve right away.