Veal alla Milanese

Cooking with Rich

2022-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

Veal alla Milanese - Cooking with Rich Veal 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.

Veal alla Milanese

Veal alla Milanese - Cooking with Rich

Preparation: 15 mins | Cooking: 15-20 mins | Serves: 2-3 adults | Skills Level: Easy-Moderate

This recipe is for two veal chops only as I don't have a big enough oven or pan to do more at once.

Ingredients

2 veal chops, bone in (approx 200-300 grams each)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 crushed garlic clove
1 egg
100ml milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup oil
1 tbsp butter

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180℃
Take a veal chop and cover in plastic wrap and bash with a meat tenderiser to be approximately 5mm thick, as evenly as you can. It will be a little thicker near the bone, that's ok. Repeat with the other.
Combine, in a tray, the egg and milk and season with a little salt and pepper
In another tray, combine the breadcrumbs, herbs and cheese, but not the garlic.
Dredge each veal piece in the egg wash, then place in the breadcrumb mix, firmly pressing in the breadcrumbs to stick ensuring the whole of the meat is covered.
Ideally in a cast iron pan, heat the oil to high heat.
Add the butter and garlic.
Add the veal and fry for approximately 3-4 mins each side, until golden brown. Occasionally basting with the oil, butter, garlic.
Take the pan from the stove and place in the oven, and allow to cook for an additional 10 mins. You can baste again if you wish.
Remove the veal from the oven and place each piece of veal on a rack to rest for 5 mins.
Garnish with a parmesan cheese or parsley and serve with your favourite side of roasted vegetables and or potatoes.

Tips and Alternatives

This recipe is of course focused on veal, you can use the same recipe for pork, lamb or heaven forbid chicken.
Normal breadcrumbs are, of course, fine if you don't have Panko breadcrumbs.
The traditional frying method is in butter only. But I find I'm hopeless and inevitably burn the butter, so I use a combination of olive oil, sunflower oil and butter, this oil helps the butter not burn.
I have tried crumbing with or with flour, to be honest I found it hard to taste the difference. So if you feel more comfortable flouring the veal first go for it.
If you have some dried Italian herbs this would do as a substitute for the herbs in the recipe.

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