Veal Milanese is a quick and easy supper recipe for winter or summer. Use ethically-produced rose veal, fried in egg and fresh breadcrumbs.
Veal Milanese
Isn't it cruel to eat veal?
Veal is meat from young calves, slaughtered when they are about six months old. It's had an image problem for many years because of ethical concerns about the European white veal industry, where calves were housed in calves in crates so small they couldn't turn around. This practice was outlawed in the UK in 1990, so all the UK veal you buy has been humanely reared. In the EU crates have been banned since 2007.
What is British rosé veal?
British rosé (or rose) veal is a natural by-product of the dairy industry. (Did you ever wonder what happened to the male calves born in a dairy herd?) It has pink, not white, flesh and is tender and lean, with a delicate flavour.
British Rose Veal is backed by the RSPCA (see the RSPCA's Freedom Food scheme) and Compassion in World Farming and is stocked by most supermarkets. So it's perfectly acceptable to buy and cook, like any other meat.
What is Veal Milanese?
For Veal Milanese, you use escalopes which are thin slices of meat. You still need to bash the meat a little to make it more tender and to get it a bit thinner. This means that the cooking times are very short (7-8 minutes).
The Milanese part is coating the meat in flour, then beaten egg, and finally breadcrumbs before frying.
Helpful Tools
Meat Hammer - Use to tenderise meat or make chicken fillets or veal escalopes thinner so that they cook quicker. Put chicken or veal between sheets of clingfilm and use the wooden side, or use the metal side (without clingfilm) for tougher meat.
If you like this...
...Why don’t you try:
Ginger Lime Chicken
Chicken in Mustard and Cream Sauce
Chicken in Sherry Sauce
Recipe
Veal Milanese
Ingredients
- 4 veal escalopes about 75-110 g each
- 100 g fresh white or wholemeal breadcrumbs
- 2 rounded tablespoons
- 60 ml white or wholemeal flour
- 2 eggs
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 50 g butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30ml)
- 2 lemons
Equipment
Instructions
Preparation:
- Tenderise the veal escalopes and make them a little thinner by beating the pieces of meat.Put an escalope between two pieces of clingfilm and gently pound it, using a rolling pin, being careful not to break the meat fibres – it just needs to be stretched a little. If you have a metal meat hammer, you don't need the clingfilm
- Make the breadcrumbs in a food processor or by grating the bread - you want fine breadcrumbs for this recipe
For the Veal Milanese:
- Put the flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, on to a large plate
- Break the eggs into a shallow dish, add salt and pepper, and lightly whisk with a fork
- Tip the breadcrumbs on to another large plate
- Line the plates up in that order
- Dip each escalope, into the flour first, then the beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumbs
- Make sure both sides are well covered at each stage
- Shake off any excess breadcrumbs, and transfer the escalopes to a clean plate
- Heat half the butter and oil in the frying pan and, when sizzling, add two of the escalopes to the pan
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden brown
- Drain on kitchen paper
- Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan
- Repeat with the other two escalopes
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Susie Collings says
Hi Allan, Dipping the veal in the flour dries the meat and makes the egg stick better.
Allan White says
Why do you dip veal in flour first then egg