VEAL SCALOPPINE WITH FRESH CORN POLENTA AND SALSA VERDE-BROWN BUTTER

Veal Scaloppine with Fresh Corn Polenta and Salsa Verde-Brown Butter image

One of my favorite dinners growing up was my mother's veal piccata. Her recipe came from an old cookbook called The Pleasures of Italian Cooking, by Romeo Salta, a gift to her from my father. My father had been a devoted fan of Romeo Salta when he was the chef at Chianti in Los Angeles in the fifties. Back then, it was a swinging Italian joint with red-checkered tablecloths, opera 78s blasting, and red wine flowing into the late hours. My mother's (and Romeo's) veal was pounded thin, sautéed, and drenched in a lemony caper-butter sauce. There's nothing wrong with that classic rendition, but, to add another layer of flavor, I brown the butter and finish it with salsa verde, a pungent purée of capers, anchovies, garlic, oregano, and tons of parsley. To get the finest, crispy crust on the veal, I dredge it in Wondra, a finely milled flour sold at most supermarkets. This dish is home-style Italian comfort food at its best.

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds veal top round
1 1/2 cups Wondra or all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Salsa verde (recipe follows)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fresh corn polenta (recipe follows)
2 ounces dandelion greens or arugula, cleaned and dried
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram or oregano leaves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic
1 salt-packed anchovy, rinsed, bones removed
1 tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 lemon, for juicing
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups fresh corn (from about 2 ears)
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 recipe polenta (see page 97)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Cut the veal against the grain into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut the slices into eighteen 1 1/2-ounce pieces (or have your butcher do this for you). Pound the veal between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8-inch thickness. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Dredge the veal in flour, coating well on both sides. Set the floured veal aside on a baking sheet.
Heat two large sauté pans over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl 2 tablespoons oil in each pan, and wait a minute. Shake the excess flour from the veal, and place a single layer in each pan (make sure the pieces of veal are not crowded or overlapping). Cook a minute or two on each side, until the veal is nicely browned. Remove the meat to a baking sheet, and finish cooking the remaining veal, adding more oil to the pan, as necessary.
Pour the oil out of one of the pans but don't wipe it clean (those crusty bits are tasty). Return the pan to medium-high heat (you will only need one pan to make the sauce), and add the butter. Cook a few minutes, swirling the pan often, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Turn off the heat and wait a minute. Then stir in 1/3 cup salsa verde, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Taste for balance and seasoning. Be careful-the butter will be very hot.
Spoon half the hot polenta onto a large warm platter, and scatter the dandelion greens over the top. Arrange the veal over the greens, allowing some of the polenta and greens to show through. Spoon the salsa verde-brown butter over the veal. Serve the rest of the polenta and remaining salsa verde on the side.
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the herbs to a paste. (You may have to do this in batches.) Work in some of the olive oil, and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Pound the garlic and anchovy, and add them to the herbs.
Gently pound the capers until they're partially crushed, and add them to the herbs. Stir in the remaining oil, a pinch of black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for balance and seasoning.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons butter and, when it foams, add the corn. Season with the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, until the corn is just cooked and tender. Stir the corn into the polenta right before serving.
You can pound the veal and prepare the salsa verde a few hours ahead. You can make the polenta and sauté the corn ahead of time, too. Stir the corn into the polenta at the last minute.