For this Italian-American update on Sicily’s eggplant parmesan, veal—once a cheap cut—was substituted for the purple vegetable. The tender meat is fried in crisp bread crumbs; smothered with bright tomato sauce, provolone and parmesan cheeses, and dried herbs; and baked until the cheese is oozing and golden. This recipe also appears in the SAVEUR New Classics Cookbook.
Veal Parmesan
Breaded and fried crisp, tender veal is smothered with bright tomato sauce and oozing, golden provolone and parmesan cheeses in this Italian-American classic.
Yield: serves 4
For the Tomato Sauce
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1⁄2 small onion, minced
- 1 tbsp. minced parsley
- 1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1⁄4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Veal and to Serve
- 1⁄2 cup flour
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 1⁄2 cups bread crumbs
- 8 (2-oz.) veal cutlets, pounded 1/8″ thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 3⁄4 cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp. roughly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium. Cook bay leaf, garlic, and onion until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Make the veal: Heat oven broiler. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes. Season veal with salt and pepper. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge veal in flour, then dip in eggs; coat in bread crumbs and transfer to a plate. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, and adding remaining oil as needed, cook veal, flipping once, until golden, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. Spoon 1⁄3 cup reserved sauce over each cutlet; top with 1 slice provolone and sprinkle with 1 1⁄2 tbsp. parmesan. Broil until cheese is golden and bubbly, 4–5 minutes. Garnish with parsley.
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