Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Villa owner Ken Shivey was once again kind enough to share the basics of another much-missed Villa menu item.
Veal Piccata The Villa Way: Pound veal out very thin. Dip in Italian bread crumbs. Fry in olive oil and butter with basil and lemon juice.
Marilyn Goldsmith shares this more detailed recipe for veal piccata and some tips for preparing veal at home.
"Veal Piccata is the simplest of recipes but one of the most difficult to make properly at home," Goldsmith writes.
Her tips:
• Overcooking is the worst thing that most home cooks do. You can't even use a meat thermometer -- by the time you get it into the piece of veal the meat is probably overcooked. You can never get a reading because the veal is too thin.
• Some recipes call for a light dusting of flour (which I like because it gives me extra brown bits for the sauce), but the dusting must be extremely light -- use your hand to brush off every bit of flour, and make sure the veal has been patted dry before you dust it. The problem with the flour is that sauteing is so fast that the flour doesn't cook and you get a horrid taste of raw flour (this happens in restaurants too often).
• You must use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. Oddly enough, it is better to juice the lemons at least 1/2 hour before cooking. The aeration seems to improve the quality of the juice.
Marilyn Goldsmith's Veal Piccata
4 to 6 veal scaloppine, pounded evenly thin
All-purpose flour, optional
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (see notes)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste (see notes)
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained, optional
Pat the veal dry. If desired, very lightly dust the veal with flour.
Heat butter and oil in heavy skillet until the foaming stops (you may need more butter or oil depending on the size and number of scaloppine). Add scaloppine in one layer, do not crowd. (If the veal will not fit in a single layer, cook them in batches.) Cook for about 1 minute on each side. Season with salt and pepper, remove to warm platter to hold. Add lemon juice to pan, stir with wooden spoon to incorporate all the juices. Stir in capers, if using, until well incorporated. Spoon sauce over each serving and sprinkle with parsley.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Notes: The purpose of the oil is to increase the burn point of the butter. I use butter and clarified butter or all clarified butter.
If I want a bit of extra sauce I add a few tablespoons of good quality chicken broth after I have deglazed the pan with the lemon juice. Cook for a few minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.
Jenny Ann Boyer shares this recipe for the bacon lovers out there.
Bacon Crisps
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 pound bacon
Cracker crumbs
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the mustard, cayenne and vinegar to form a paste. Add the eggs.
Cut bacon into quarters. Dip bacon in egg mixture, then coat with cracker crumbs. Arrange coated bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Drain. Serve hot.
Next week: Orange slice cookies and orange slice cake.
Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:
kbrant@arkansasonline.com
Please include a daytime phone number.
Food on 02/08/2017