Animal Flesh Recipe of the Day.

It is time to kill, cook, and eat some baby cows, kiddies. From Mario Batali and FoodNetwork, here's

Veal with Marinated Mushrooms (Scaloppine Beneventana)


1 pound veal hip or top round, cut into 8 pieces, pounded to 1/8-inch thickness
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour, for dredging
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Basic Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup marinated mushrooms, recipe follows, drained
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
8 slices prosciutto, roughly the same diameter as scaloppine
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup


Season each piece of veal with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the oil until smoking. Add 4 pieces dredged veal and cook until light golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and continue with the remaining pieces. When second batch is browned, add the first batch back to the pan and add the tomato sauce, wine, mushrooms, lemon juice and capers and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is quite tight.

Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each piece of veal. Remove the veal to a platter, add the parsley and pour the sauce over meat.

Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve.


BASIC TOMATO SAUCE
All recipes copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4 inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt, to taste


In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds one week in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. Yield: 4 cups


Marinated Mushrooms in a Bath (Funghi al Bagno)

3 to 4 pounds wild mushrooms, such as porcini, chanterelles and hen of the woods (you may substitute 1 1/2 pounds portobellos, 2 pounds shiitake and 1 pound crimini)

3 cups good white wine vinegar
1 bottle good dry white wine
4 fresh bay leaves
1 stem rosemary
1 tablespoon hot chili flakes
10 black peppercorns
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 liters extra-virgin olive oil


Equipment: 3 quart jars with lids, cleaned and sterilized

Clean the mushrooms of any dirt with a soft brush or a cloth, but do not wash with water. Cut the portobello caps into quarters and cut the stems into 1/2-inch thick rectangles, and set aside.

Remove the stems from the shiitake, leave the caps whole and set aside. Halve the crimini and set aside.

Pour the vinegar and the wine into a stainless steel, 8 quart saucepan and add the bay leaves, rosemary, chili flakes, peppercorns and salt and bring to a boil.

Add all of the mushrooms and, once the solution has returned to a boil, cook for 20 minutes. Drain the mushrooms in a colander, discarding the aromatics, and pour them out onto a stack of kitchen towels to drain and dry well, about 30 minutes.

Divide the mushrooms among the 3 jars, placing 3 or 4 peppercorns and a pinch of chili flakes in each jar. Fill each of the jars with oil to the very top and refrigerate overnight.

The mushrooms will absorb oil the first couple of nights, so it will be necessary to "top up" the oil after 3 or 4 days. Seal the jars with the caps and allow the mushrooms to marinate a week before serving.

In Italy, these mushrooms could easily rest 6 weeks before they're served. They are, however, ready after 4 days, and could be consumed as early as the first day following their marinating.

To serve, bring a jar to room temperature and place some of the mushrooms into a bowl with a little of the oil and a plate of grilled bread rubbed with garlic on the side.