Veal Milanese: A Classic Northern Italian Dish

Veal Milanese is one of the world's great dishes, originating from northern Italy, specifically around the area of Milan and Lombardia. This traditional dish is characterized by its use of a cotoletta, which is essentially a veal chop cooked on the bone. The resulting dish is super juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, making it a culinary delight.

The Non-Italian Technique of Brining

In this recipe, chef Andrew Carmellini employs the non-traditional technique of brining to achieve tender and flavorful results. Brining involves soaking the veal chop in a solution of boiling water, salt, sugar, and other seasonings. The brine softens the meat, making it super tender and imparting a subtle flavor. By using this method, Carmellini ensures that his Veal Milanese will be consistently delicious.

The Northern Italian Connection

Veal Milanese shares similarities with traditional Austrian dishes like Wiener Schnitzel. However, this recipe uses a veal chop instead of thin slices of scallopine, giving it a heartier and more substantial feel. The use of a bone-in veal chop is also noteworthy, as it protects the meat from heat and allows for even cooking. This technique guarantees that the dish will be both juicy and flavorful.

Preparing the Brine

To start the brining process, Carmellini boils water and adds salt, sugar, and other seasonings to create a solution that not only tenderizes the veal but also adds flavor. The chef likes to add a little bit of sugar to balance out the saltiness and promote caramelization when cooking the dish. By following this simple yet effective method, Carmellini sets the stage for a truly exceptional Veal Milanese.

The Cooling Process

After preparing the brine, Carmellini allows it to cool down before submerging the veal chop into the liquid. This cooling process is crucial, as it ensures that the brine does not cook the meat too quickly or unevenly. By keeping the brine cold, Carmellini maintains control over the cooking temperature and achieves a tender and juicy texture.

Pounding the Veal Chop

With the cooled brine in place, Carmellini pounds out the veal chop to achieve an even thickness. This step is essential for creating a crispy exterior and ensuring that the breading adheres evenly. By pounding the meat thin, Carmellini also removes excess fat and makes it easier to cook.

The Importance of Handling the Veal Chop

When handling the veal chop, Carmellini emphasizes the importance of using gentle yet firm pressure when pounding out the meat. He advises against over-tenderizing the meat, as this can make it too soft and lose its natural texture. Instead, Carmellini focuses on making the veal thin enough to achieve a golden-brown crust.

The Brined Veal Chop

After pounding out the veal chop, Carmellini places it in a container lined with brine solution. The veal is then refrigerated for 20-30 minutes to allow it to soak and become tender. By following this step, Carmellini ensures that his Veal Milanese will be moist and flavorful.

Breading the Veal Chop

With the brined veal chop ready, Carmellini proceeds to breading it with a mixture of flour and Parmesan cheese. To achieve an even coating, he shakes off excess flour and sprinkles Parmesan on top of the meat. The use of grated Parmesan adds a subtle umami flavor that enhances the overall taste of the dish.

Pressing the Breadcrumbs

To ensure the breadcrumbs adhere evenly to the veal chop, Carmellini presses them onto the meat with gentle yet firm pressure. This step may result in a bit of mess, but it is essential for achieving a crispy and golden-brown crust.

The Chef's Touch

When preparing the breaded veal chop, Carmellini adds a personal touch by using a little trick to ensure even coating. By dipping one hand into flour and the other into eggs, he can press the breadcrumbs onto the meat with precision. This technique allows him to maintain control over the breading process and achieve a perfectly balanced dish.

Heating Up the Oil

To finish off the dish, Carmellini heats up grapeseed oil in a pan until it reaches a smoking temperature. He carefully places the breaded veal chop into the hot oil and waits for it to sizzle and brown. By using this technique, Carmellini creates a crispy crust that complements the tender interior of the veal chop.

The Finishing Touches

As the Veal Milanese cooks in the pan, Carmellini pays close attention to its appearance. To achieve a visually appealing dish, he may wrap the veal in foil to create a neat and compact package. The chef's attention to detail ensures that every aspect of the dish is perfectly executed.

By following these steps and using traditional techniques, Carmellini creates a truly exceptional Veal Milanese that showcases the beauty of Northern Italian cuisine.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en-Veal Milanese is one ofthe world's great dishes.It's from northern Italy,around the area of Milanand the area of Lombardia,as you can tellby the name Milanese.This is done with a cotoletta.It's done with a veal chop,and we cook it on the bone,so it's gonna besuper juicy on the inside,it's gonna be really crispyon the outside.♪♪Hi, my name isAndrew Carmellini.I'm the chef and ownerof Carne Mareand many other restaurants,here to make one of my favoriteItalian meat dishes,very classic veal Milanese.So we're gonna do the verynon-Italian techniqueof brining.Veal sometimes isn't as fatty,really, as beef is.And so the brine isjust basic chemistry, really,and it kind of softens the meat,makes it super, super tender.And it's just a nice techniqueto guaranteethat if you make this,it's gonna come out great.So, to start our brine,you're gonna have boiling waterand you're gonna add salt.And it's gonna makethe veal really juicy,but it's also gonna give ita little bit of flavor.I like to put a little bitof sugar in the brine, also.It kind of balances the saltand helps caramelizethe meat a little bitwhen it's in the pan.This is a northernItalian dish.You're really closeto the Swiss border.Very similar to likea Wienerschnitzel,a little bit -- so, like,a Wienerschnitzel you'll havewith thin slices of kind of likescallopini of veal.But this is a veal chop.It's gonna comefrom the short loin of a veal,very similar to a beef chopor a steak for two.And cooking somethingon the bone is really,really important in meat cookingbecause that bone sideof the meatwill protect it from the heat.And so this whole area hereis gonna come out niceand pink-lookingand it's gonna bereally super juicyand it's gonna releasea lot of that meaty flavor.So, we have our brine.That's cooling.It's really, really importantthat our brine is nice and coldwhen we put it over the veal.And we have our veal chop,and we're gonna poundthis guy out.Don't be afraid to usea little bit of force.And we pound it outnot to tenderize it,because it's a super tenderpiece of meat already,but we just want it to bea little bit thinner becausewe want the breading to be likegolden brown and delicious.So this is gonna make itthe same thicknessso we can achieve that.Yeah, don't be afraid to --to whack it a little bit.And this part up here,the deckle part,which is actually my favoritepart of the veal chop --it's, like, super delicious andhas all that good fat inside it.You want to make sureyou get that guy, also.The Italians call thiselephant ears, right,'cause they kind of, like,look like elephant earsa little bit,kind of like a funlittle saying for that.That guy looks pretty good.I'm gonna put thatin our containerand we're gonna pourour brine over that.You know, this is pretty thin,so we don't have to brine ittoo long -- 20, 30 minutes.Just cover it like that.Stick it in the fridge.Let it soak. Let it get tender.Alright.We're gonna do what realprofessional chefs callstandard breading procedure,which is really fancy.Just says we're gonna bread it.So, we're gonna have our flourand then we're gonna havea little egg wash,and you can put that in a bowlor put it kind ofdirect in here.That's fine.Put a little pepper in there.And I like to put, like,a little bit of milk,but you can also put waterif you want.A little bit of salt.I like to put that seasoninginside the egg washbecause it seasoned it again.It's about layering flavorsall the time.I just want to whisk that up.Standard breading procedure.Now, in Italy, they don't usepanko breadcrumbs.I like to use panko breadcrumbs,the Japanese breadcrumbs,just 'causethey're, like, super crispy.Alright.So, we have our brined guy here.You want to justpat that dry a little bit.You'll notice that this vealis not super white.You know, sometimes there's thisalmost like an '80s thingabout having, like, white veal.And Italian veal -- this isorganic, free-range veal.It's not a cage veal,so it's a humanely raised veal.And the flesh of this animalis gonna be a little bit redder,almost looking like beef,and that's very similarto the veal you're gonna seein Italy.Uh, so we've gotour dried-off veal chop.You can do thisa couple different ways.I like to put flourinto sideand shake it a little bitand then sprinkle some Parmesanon the outside a little bit.It's not a veal parmigiana.I like to put in a little bitof the grated Parmesan insidebecause it's -- it's, uh...I don't know,it gives a kind of umami kind oflike flavor a little bit.And if you do this right,you always have a dry handand a wet hand --your wet hand being the oneyou put your eggs in,and the dry handthe one you put your flour in.Press your bread into it.Gets a little messy,but that's okay.There we go.Alright.So, we have our breaded veal.We're gonna doa little chef technique.When you do something like thisand it's expensive,you want to make sure that thebone looks really, really nice.Sometimes we'll wrap itin a little bit of foil.That's like a little chef hatyou can put on thatto kind of protect itso it looks good.I heated up some grapeseed oil.You do want the oilto be smoking a little bit.You want the panto be hot enoughso when you put this inside,you want to be able to hearthat right away, that \"shhhh.\"If you put a veal chop in therewhen the oil's too cold,it's gonna get a little soggyon the outside.This is not somethingthat you cookand you just kind of, like,leave in the panand then go do something else.You want to kind of keepthat veal kind of moving around,which is really the artand the fun of, like,cooking it, right?It's like ballet,like, a little bit.You want to keepeverything movingto get that kind of likegolden color,but if it kind of, like,stays in the same area,it's gonna maybe burn.Great Italian foodis really just like this.It's three or four ingredients.It's just done in the right way,which is kind of the Italianspirit of it.And it's not overly complicated.It's just doing thingsthe right wayand with careand, like, a lot of love,which kind ofalmost sounds clichéwhen I say that,but that's something you reallydon't understand until you,like, live and work in Italy.When I was a younger cookin my 20s,I spent about two yearsworking in Italy.Some Michelin-starred places,higher-end places,but also kind of like workingin trattoriasand neighborhood joints,which is honestly where you findthe soul of Italian cooking,a little bit.So, this guy is startingto get nice and good.So, traditionally,you wouldn't use any oil.They actually liketo use it with --use it with a little --mostly butter.And I like to start it in oilto get it really, really crispy.I put a little bitof garlic inside,which you won't see in Milan.You won't see any garlicin a lot of Milanese cooking,but I like to put it in'cause I love garlic.I like to use some rosemaryand some sage.That crackle is a good thing.That is the oils from thoseherbs kind of, like, releasing.The butteris gonna be really coolbecause it's gonnakind of, like,give it this nutty flavor.The milk solids in the butterare gonna kind of, like, bubbleand caramelizeand give it this reallykind of nutty flavor.This is where we're gonna goin the oven --oven at, like, about 375, 400.Two or three minutes each side.Alright.Smells very, very good in here.You get the herbsand that garlic.I bet it's nice and bubbly.Oh, there you go.That's what you want to see.Nice and bubbly.And I kind of use some of thatflavored herb butter.Again, the butter's not burnt --its kind of brown, right?This is like -- the Italianswould call that hazelnut butter,noce, 'cause it kind of, like,has a hazelnut flavorfrom the milk solidskind of caramelizing.And you get all the sagein there, the rosemary,little piece of garlic,and it's just, like,kind of intoxicating.There you go.That's what you want.I mean, that's golden brown,delicious.I am a golden god of veal.Look at that. Amazing.Little bit of arugula salad.I just like put it on the platea little bit like that.Squeeze of lemon over that.A little salt,couple things of Parmesan.You can even put someon top of the veal.A little umami blast'llbe tasty.I have a little roasted tomatoon the vine herethat I roasted in the oven,like for five minutes.And then I have these lemons.These lemons are charreda little bit.We throw them on the grill.You could also just usea raw lemon.But traditionally,you're gonna have a squeezeof lemon on top,just kind of, like, help kind ofcut through all that meatinesson the outside.And this you want to doright before you eat itbecause you don't want itto get too soggy afterwards.Again, a couple ingredients,some really, really goodtechnique, just made with care.And that's what really classicItalian foodshould be all about.We have a beautifulveal Milanesecooked on the bone.It's nice and rosy over here.See that, like nice and pink?♪♪Mmm.Definitely crispy on theoutside, definitely juicy,especially liketowards the bone.You can serve a coupledifferent wines with this.The Brunello pairsreally well with this,especially this onefrom Lisini.This has a lot of terroir --it kind of tastesfrom the placeit should be from,which is what I think makesa wine great.A little more sea saltover the top.♪♪Perfect.For the recipe, click below,or come see meat Carne Mare --I'll make youa beautiful Milanese.♪♪♪♪\n"