I had a nice piece of veal left over from Lieutenant Columbo’s Veal Scallopini so I decided to rustle up a Weiner Schnitzel.  I love Oskar’s serving suggestion for this dish: lemon, beetroot, anchovies and capers.

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I love these fat, tasty anchovies from The Fickle Fish…

I took the photo above, before I remembered about the capers, so here’s one I made earlier with the full monty decorations…

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I’m getting better at cooking veal.  I think the secret is not to cook it for very long.  I’m also getting better at reminding myself that it is OK these days to eat veal.  I was a vegetarian in the 80s, and I remember all the campaigning against it.  But the tide has turned, and there are sound reasons why we should eat veal now, I think.  Here’s a great article by Xanthe Clay about why we should… 

OSCAR WERNER, 1960S.

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Oskar Werner’s Wiener Schnitzel

1 pound / 450 grams veal steak (cut from leg) cut 1/4 inch thick

1 egg

Few drops of water (or milk)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup / 25 grams fine bread crumbs

3 tablespoons sweet / unsalted butter (or half butter, half bacon grease)

Cooked beets

Sliced lemon

8 anchovy fillets

Handful of capers

Pound meat with a wooden mallet to flatten.  Beat egg with water or milk.  Season meat well, dip steaks into the bread crumbs.  Shake off, then dip in egg, let stand 10 minutes.  Dip again in bread crumbs.  

Heat butter in heavy skillet / frying pan; brown meat quickly on both sides.  Remove steaks to heated platter.  Garnish with sliced small beets, slice of lemon over which cross two anchovy fillets and sprinkle with capers.  Serve with mixed cooked vegetables (brussels sprouts, asparagus tips or green beans) and boiled (or mashed) potatoes.

Serves 4

Note: You can ask your butcher to pound the veal slices thin.  

For California touches, Oskar uses paprika, a dash of nutmeg and white pepper to season the meat  Add grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese to bread crumbs.  Deglaze pan using white wine flavoured with chopped fresh basil, rosemary or tarragon mixed with sour cream.

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