Veal Marsala

Veal Marsala is Italian restaurant cooking boiled down to its essentials: thin veal cutlets seared golden in butter, then bathed in a quick pan sauce of Marsala wine and stock. Six ingredients, 30 minutes, and you’ve got something that tastes like a night out.

The real flavor lives in the fond, those dark browned bits stuck to the pan after searing. When the Marsala and stock hit the hot pan, they dissolve all that concentrated flavor into a rich, slightly sweet sauce. Don’t skip the deglazing step and don’t be shy about scraping the bottom of the pan.

Sear the veal in batches so each piece gets proper contact with the pan. Crowding the skillet steams the meat instead of browning it, and you lose the crust that makes this dish sing.

Pro Tips

• Use dry Marsala, not sweet. Sweet Marsala makes the sauce cloying.
• Pound the scaloppine to an even thickness so they cook uniformly. About ¼ inch is ideal.
• Keep seared veal warm on a plate tented with foil while you build the sauce. It only takes a minute or two.
• Veal stock is traditional if you can get it, but beef stock works well here.

Variations

• Add sliced mushrooms to the pan after the veal and saute them before deglazing for a Marsala ai funghi.
• Substitute chicken cutlets for a more budget-friendly version that’s equally good.
• Finish the sauce with a tablespoon of cold butter swirled in off the heat for a richer, glossier coating.