Simple Veal Piccata

Real veal piccata is five ingredients done right, and this stripped-down recipe proves it. Pounded veal cutlets dredged in seasoned flour, quickly sautéed in foaming butter, then finished with a pan sauce made from nothing more than more butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

The secret to piccata is heat management. The butter must foam but not brown before the cutlets go in, and the cutlets cook for just 1 to 2 minutes per side. Any longer and thin veal turns tough and dry. The edges should be crisp and golden; the centers just cooked through.

Flour not only adds a light coating that browns beautifully, it also thickens the pan sauce when the butter and lemon go in at the end. The fond (browned bits stuck to the pan) becomes the flavor base for everything.

Reduce the sauce at high heat briefly, scraping the fond as it combines with the lemon and butter into a glossy, emulsified drizzle. Don’t walk away. It goes from perfect to broken in 30 seconds.

Chef Tips

• Use veal cutlets pounded to about ⅛ inch thick. Thicker cutlets overcook on the outside before the inside is done.
• Pat the cutlets dry before dredging in flour. Surface moisture turns the flour gummy instead of crisp.
• Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt in the finished dish.
• Fresh lemon juice only, not bottled. The brightness from fresh lemon is what piccata is about.

Variations

• Add 2 tablespoons of capers with the lemon juice for a more traditional piccata.
• Splash in ¼ cup of dry white wine before the lemon for more depth.
• Swap veal for thin chicken cutlets or pork tenderloin medallions.