Italian · Main · Medium
Veal Marsala
Tender veal scallopini pan seared until golden and finished in a glossy, mushroom studded Marsala wine sauce. Elegant enough for dinner guests, easy enough for a weeknight.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Veal Marsala, in 5 ideas
- Thin dredging matters: a heavy flour coat turns gummy in the sauce, a light dusting browns beautifully.
- Use dry Marsala, not sweet, for this savory sauce; sweet Marsala belongs in desserts like zabaione.
- Searing in batches keeps the pan hot so the veal browns instead of steaming in its own juices.
- Deglazing with the wine lifts all the caramelized fond into the sauce, which is where most of the flavor lives.
- The final swirl of cold butter gives the sauce a restaurant shine and rounds out the wine's edge.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs veal scallopini, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
How to make it
Directions
- Season the flour with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge each piece of veal lightly, shaking off any excess flour so the coating stays thin.
- Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the veal in batches, about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to a warm plate and tent with foil.
- In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms and shallot 4 to 5 minutes until the mushrooms are browned and any liquid has cooked off. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the Marsala wine, scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Add the chicken stock and simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Return the veal to the pan, spoon the sauce over it, and warm through for 1 to 2 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, shower with parsley, and serve immediately.
Ask the butcher counter for veal scallopini cut from the leg and pounded in store; it is often cheaper than prepackaged cutlets and cooks more evenly.