Veal Cotoletta
Veal cotoletta or cotoletta alla Milanese is a special and culturally important meal in any Italian family's home. It’s a veal cutlet that has been breaded and fried to golden and crispy perfection.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 veal cutlets
- 8 - 10 slices white sandwich loaf
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup flour white all purpose
- 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ bunch fresh parsley stalks discarded
- 6 rosemary leaves
- ½ bunch fresh sage
- olive oil
Instructions
- Lay the bread out onto a baking tray and leave to dry out overnight. It’s important your bread has been dried out or is a few days old and stale as this will give you the crispiest breadcrumbs.
- Begin by making your egg wash. In a shallow wide bowl, whisk your eggs and garlic together and set to the side. By preparing this early the garlic will have time to release its flavour into the eggs.
- Place the veal cutlet between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the smooth side of a mallet, pound the cutlets from the centre outwards, avoiding the bone, until the cutlet is roughly 1.5cm thick and has been tenderised. This step is to ensure the veal cooks at an even rate. Place your veal cutlets onto a plate and generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Set to the side.
- Roughly tear apart your bread and place into a food processor or blender with the parsley and rosemary. Blend until the bread is still quite fine and crumbly and the herbs have been mixed throughl. If you are using a small blender you will need to do this step in batches. Place your breadcrumbs into a large bowl.
- In a shallow wide bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper and then set up your dredging station. Begin with your flour, followed by the egg wash, followed by the breadcrumbs and then finished with a large clean plate or tray to place the crumbed veal on. Take one veal cutlet and coat both sides evenly with the flour. Then place into the egg wash and coat both sides evenly. Lastly, place into the breadcrumb mixture applying pressure with your hands when you flip the veal over to ensure the breadcrumbs are evenly coated all over. Place the veal onto the clean plate and then repeat this step with the remainder of the veal. Place the veal into the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to set and bring the meat to a cold temperature. This will ensure the meat does not overcook when frying.
- In a large frying pan, add a very generous amount of olive oil until it's about 2 - 3cm deep in the pan. Bring the olive oil to heat. You can check if the olive oil is hot enough by placing a wooden skewer into it and seeing if bubbles form around the skewer. Turn the heat down to medium and fry 1 - 2 pieces of veal cutlets at a time for 3 - 4 minutes on one side on each side or until they are golden and crispy. It’s best to test out one piece of veal to make sure your cook time and heat levels are accurate. Remember your veal will continue to cook when you take it off the heat so take it off a few seconds before you feel it’s ready. Place the veal to rest onto a cooling rack so the oil can drip off and the bottom does not get soggy.
- Fry the sage leaves in the remaining olive oil for several minutes or until crispy. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with absorbent paper.
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