Veal Scallopini Alla Marsala

I have a friend, Madelon Montobbio, who recently had us over for dinner. She served Veal Scallopini which was great. Below, is the recipe, which was contributed by Jeannette Bastiani.  Two of the most important things about any Veal recipe are: 1) getting good quality Veal and 2) do not over cook the Veal.  Madelon gets hers from Rossotti Ranch who have a booth at the Farmers Market behind the Marin County Civic Center on Sundays.   Enjoy

Ingredients

• 1-½ pound thin Veal Scallopini.  
  
• Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 stick salted butter
• ¾ cup of Marsala wine
• ¾ cup of Beef broth
• 10 medium sized button mushrooms (remove stems), sliced thin (1/16 inch)
• ¼ cup Veal demi-glace
• ½ cup Parsley (optional)

Procedure

• The Veal from Rossotti Ranch is already very, very thin (1/32 inch), therefore there is no need to pound it thin.  However, if yours is thicker, you should pound it to about ⅛ inch.  
• Place the Veal Scaloppini between sheets of waxed paper and pound them.
• Add the salt and pepper to the flour.  Then dredge the Scaloppini in the flour.
• Melt 1 cube of butter in a large skillet over medium heat (do not burn the butter).
• Brown the veal very carefully, no more than 15 second per side).  
• When you see a lttle blood on the surface of the Veal take it out of the pan and set aside. 
• Add the second cube of butter as needed to keep enough liquid in the pan.
• Pour the Marsala wine and the Beef broth into the pan.
• Add ¼ cup of Veal demi-glace.
• Stir the mixture until smooth.
• Add mushrooms and stir gently for several minutes until tender. Cook until the sauce (wine and stock) is slightly thickened. Add the veal to the pan and serve immediately.
• Garnish with Parsley (optional)

Juicy Baked Pork Tenderloin

Well, I'm not a real fan of Pork dishes.  However, Mary Ann found a great recipe for Pork Tenderloin which we cooked last night.  They recommend cooking the Pork to an internal temperature of 145, but I took it out at 135.  It was perfect. 

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons EACH: onion powder and garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, salt, and pepper
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Minced parsley, to serve

Procedure

This is the juiciest baked port tenderloin recipe ever.  It's coated in an easy spice rub, quickly browned in a pan which creates a lovely crust, then baked in a simple pan sauce to keep it incredibly tender, juicy, and delicious. The melt-in-your-mouth tender pork tastes amazing as leftovers, too!

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Dry the prok tenderloin well with paper towels.
2. Mix the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.  Rub the spic mix over all sider of the pork and let stand for 10 minutes. 
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the pork, working in 2 batches if your pan is not big enough to fit both tenderloins withou them touching.  Sear the pork on all sides until it is brown, about 6 minutes total. Take the pan off the heat.
4. Move the pork to a baking dish.  Return the pan to the heat and add the beef broth (see not below).  Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any fawn and then cook for about 1 minute until the sauce reduces to ¼ cup. 
5. Important note:  If the sauce has black bits, tip the pan and remove the black bits with a spoon.  
6. Pour the sauce over the pork.
7. Pour the apple cider vinegar over the pork and then dot the top with butter. 
8. Cover the baking dish with foil.
9. Bake the pork for about 20 minutes, or until it reaches and internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees.
10. Let the prok rest for 5 minutes before slicing into ¼ to ½ inch thick rounds.
11. Sever with a little parsley for color.

Two Great Books - One on Smoking Meat and One on Meat

Today, I was having my hair cut at Manny G's Barbershop in Novato, California.  We started talking about BBQ and cooking.  I mentioned that I use two great cookbooks for doing meats.  One is a complete cookbook on Meat while the other focuses on Smoking Meat.  So, here are the two reference books.  Enjoy.

The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly.

Of particular interest to me are these recipes.

• Prime Rib
• Rack of Lamb
• Veal Scallopini

The Essential Guid to Real Barbecue Smoking Meat by Jeff Phillips

Of particular interest to me are these recipes.

• Brining
• Smoked Chicken
• Smoked Salmon

Roy Choi's Spaghetti

A few years ago, John Favreau filmed the movie Chef.  Then, he filmed a cooking series called The Chef Show with Roy Choi who helped with the cooking elements of the original film.  One of the episodes focused upon Italian dishes.  

Roy shared his recipe for Spaghetti and meatballs.  Below his the recipe for this Spaghetti sauce.  Given that I had to estimate the amounts for each ingredient while viewing the film, I am not sure if this recipe perfectly matches Roy's.  But, here we go. 

Ingredients

• 1 - whole bunch of Basil - picked from stems but do not crushed or chop.
• 40 - whole cloves of Garlic.
• 2 - cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes.
• 24 - whole White Button Mushrooms.
• 1-1-½ Cups Olive Oil.
• 1 - pound Spaghetti.
• 1 - wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Chili Flakes.
• Salt.
• Pepper.

Procedure

• Put the White Mushrooms in a sauce pan (whole) and cover with water.  Simmer until soft.
• Put the Garlic cloves in a sauce pan (whole) cover with Olive Oil.  Simmer (confit) until soft under very low heat.
• Once the above are ready, put the confited Garlic and Mushroom stock (do not add mushrooms) in a sauce pan.  Add two cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes and cook until tomatoes start to break down.
• Boat motor the sauce fully until smooth.
• Add saltto taste.
• In a separate sauce pan, add pasta, then enough sauce to cover, add basil and transfer to a serving platter.
• Add Chili flakes, Pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano to taste.
• Serve immediately. 

Romoulade Sauce - John Shields

John Shields owns and operates Gertrude's Chesapeake Kitchen in Baltimore, Maryland.  He finally shared his receipe for his Romoulade Sauce, which he serves with his fried oysters.  But, you can serve them with most any seafood.  I have made this sauce and found it to be extremely tasty.   So, here we go.

Ingredients

• 1 - Cup Mayonnaise
• 6 - TB finely minced Celery
• 2 - TB finely minced Green Onion
• 1 - TB chopped Parsley
• 1 - Teaspoon minced Garlic
• 1 - TB chopped Capers
• 2 - TB Ketchup
• 1 - TB Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 - Teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
• ½ - Teaspoon Salt

Procedure

• Place all the ingredients in a bowl whisk together well.  
• Cover and chill for several hours before serving.