Veal alla Milanese - Cooking with RichVeal alla Milanese (Cololetta alla Milanese or more the Anglicised Veal Milanese) is most often compared to the more commonly known Weiner Schnitzel (veal schnitzel), a breaded and fried piece of veal, on the bone usually. Veal Milanese of course originated in Milan, in Lombardy, Italy and is a common menu item in the region. 

Surprisingly, there is a little more controversy between the Weiner Schnitzel and Veal Milanese than I knew prior to the little research I did for this recipe. Mainly which came first and which influenced the other. According to one source veal Milanese was first mentioned in a menu in 1134, where as Wiener Schnitzel doesn't seem to get a historical mention until sometime in around 1830. So the likes of Wikipedia and BBC give the Veal Milanese the original breaded veal recipe crown, but this is kind of irrelevant and about the only use is for your family Trivial Pursuit game.

Veal alla Milanese uses a veal cutlet, typically on the bone, traditionally called Costoletta all Milanese, referring only to veal on the bone. Most menus in will use Cotoletta all Milanese, which can refer to either bone in or out. 

Now, the main differences, for the purest, between Weiner Schnitzel and Cotoletta all Milanese are:

  • Milanese only uses veal chops on the bones, whereas Weiner Schnitzel is usually off the bone and can also be pork (see my recipe for Schnitzel if you want my view why crumbed chicken is not listed).
  • No use of flour for Milanese in the breading process.
  • Use of herbs and cheese in the Milanese breadcrumb mix.
  • Milanese is usually cooked in butter rather than lard or oil, but this one I think is a little pedantic, although having tried all, butter does taste better.

This recipe is not quite traditional, nor do I claim it to be. After many attempts at perfecting it, to my taste at least, it is my own little spin on the traditional recipe, so keep any comments civil please. I do recommend Panko breadcrumbs, which clearly are not Italian, but seem to fry a little crispier and I do place the veal in the oven for a little while to continue the cooking after frying.

You can serve with roasted vegetables, roasted potatoes or anything you want really. I personally like mash, which is also not traditional. 

So have a go and let me.