Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Veal Cutlets with Creamy Marsala Sauce

When I say "Indiana", what do you think of?

The Indy 500? Jim Nabors? Elkhart, RV manufacturing capitol of the world?

Well all those are true, but there are two more things that you need to be aware of.

Billboards and Flat.

Last weekend CC2 and I drove much of the length of Indiana to visit IU-Bloomington (more on that in another post). The thing that struck me almost immediately was how flat the place is. From the northern border to just north of Indianapolis, the state is so flat it looks concave. I swear you can see the curvature of the Earth if you stare at the horizon. If one bathtub overflowed in Gary, the water would swamp everything from Ft. Wayne to Terre Haute.

They make flat in Indiana and ship it to other places. In its own way the flatness is mesmerizing. Driving down highway 69 looking out over the cornfields I swear I saw Cary Grant being chased by a crop duster. I would have been able to confirm it was Cary Grant except the other thing Indiana is now famous for got in my way.

I've never seen so many billboards in my life. They are everywhere. They are in the cities, in the towns in the middle of no place cornfields. There are decrepit collapsing wooden ones, there are two-tier riveted steel monstrosities. They are of course noticeable because it's so dang FLAT!!!

Occasionally, the placement led to some interesting juxtapositioning. There was the billboard for the unfortunately named and quality confused "Butt Hut - Indiana's Cheapest Cigarettes", followed almost immediately by the billboard for "Witham Health Centers New Cancer Treatment Wing". Smart move, get your new customers right after they pick up their last carton.

Flat state, flat signs, got me thinking about flat food. The only thing I had in inventory that is remotely flat is Veal Cutlets with Marsala Cream Sauce. This is a twist on traditional Veal Marsala in that it adds some heavy cream towards the end. I only add half a cup of heavy cream, others may want a little more. just make sure and adjust the seasoning on the sauce. Enjoy...


Veal Cutlets with Creamy Marsala Sauce
by Crabby

8 veal cutlets pounded thin, about 1 1/2 pounds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP Salt
2 teaspoons pepper
3 TBSP olive oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, preferably cremini
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 cup dry Marsala
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Place the flour, salt and pepper in a large re-sealable bag. Seal the bag and shake well to combine.

Open the bag and add 1/2 the veal. Seal and shake to coat. Shake off any excess flour and place the cutlets on a large plate. Repeat for the remainder of the veal.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high. When the oil is shimmering add the cutlets forming a single layer. If necessary work in batches. Saute the veal two minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil while you finish cooking the remaining veal.

Once the veal is done, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When hot add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes tossing occasionally. Add the garlic and shallots and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the wine and broth. Bring to a boil and scrape up any brown bits attached to the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and turn to a simmer. Return the veal cutlets and any collected juices to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning, the sauce may need salt.

Serve the cutlets, napping each plate with sauce and mushrooms.


Flat food inspired by a flat state. I'm outta here crablings, see you next time. Remember you can do it you can cook.

4 comments:

Mags @ the Other Side of 50 said...

I've been reading your blog for a few months now and I'm not sure why it took me so long to comment on how much I enjoy reading it, but I suppose it's the mention of Indiana that finally got me to say hello. I'm a Hoosier (transplanted Buckeye,) and I've driven that same stretch of I69 more times than I care to admit. It is indeed flat and most certainly inundated with billboards. I think they've been placed there to distract us from the flatness and the BORING, BORING endless miles from Ft. Wayne to Indianapolis.

Love your recipes too, btw... but mostly it's your writing style that keeps me coming back!

www.crabbycook.com said...

Thanks for the kind words Mags! The flatness truly is mesmerizing in its way; the billboards just look so out of place but I guess that's the point. Keep visiting and feel free to keep commenting.

Kitchenjenni said...

Yes...Indiana is a very flat state and not nearly as pretty as the great state of Michigan. But as a parent of an IU student, I have to say IU has a beautiful campus, it's very easy to get around and the education has been more than we could have hoped for. Bloomington is also a fun college town. This has been pretty hard for me to admit given my MSU roots! Hope you had a good visit. Thanks for the inspired recipe.

WineWizardBob said...

DRY Marsala,

Whenever you are cooking with wine, always, always always, use the driest wine possible from the category. Marsala, Sherry and Madeira being the most common. Why Dry?

You can always add sweetness to a dish after tasting, but you cannot suck out the sweetness if the wine is too sweet when you start.

With the cream in this dish, I like a northern Italian red like a Barbera. The 2007 vintage is great.

So Flat as a Pancake now must be change to Flat as Indiana?