Lemony Veal Piccata

Veal piccata is a textbook Italian pan sauce dish, and it’s one of the fastest elegant dinners you can put on a table. Pounded-thin cutlets get a light flour dusting, a quick sear in olive oil, then rest while the pan builds a sauce from white wine, chicken broth, crushed garlic, briny capers, and whole peeled lemon segments.

The wine and broth reduce by about two-thirds, concentrating into a glossy, intensely flavored sauce. Cold butter swirled in at the end emulsifies everything into a silky finish that clings to the veal instead of pooling on the plate.

The lemon is peeled with all the white pith removed, so you get pure citrus segments that melt into the sauce without any bitterness.

Chef Tips

• Pound the veal cutlets to an even thickness so they cook uniformly. Thick spots stay pink while thin edges overcook.
• Saute just 2 to 3 minutes total. Veal cutlets this thin go tough fast if overcooked.
• Deglaze the pan with the wine while it’s still hot. The alcohol burns off and the fond dissolves into the sauce.
• Swirl the cold butter in off the heat at the very end. Boiling after butter breaks the emulsion.

Variations

• Use chicken cutlets pounded thin for a more affordable version that’s just as good.
• Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the reduced sauce for a French-leaning twist.
• Scatter toasted pine nuts over the plated veal for crunch.