Veal Spiedini Marsala

Veal Spiedini Marsala

Veal being politically incorrect goes without saying......however, I LOVE IT! We have a 'new favorite' (defined by Brian as any meal that is requested for company or a 'do again') - Veal Spiedini Marsala. I adapted this recipe from Mario Batali with a few changes and additions. The original recipe was strictly Veal Spiedini skewered, grilled and served without a finishing sauce. I decided to pan fry and finish in a mushroom marsala wine sauce to keep it very moist. I always fear veal scallops drying out. The veal scallops are pounded thin and stuffed with a delicious bread crumb, pine nut and cranberry stuffing and then rolled into little bundles of yummy goodness! When buying veal, you should look for a pale pink almost creamy white color with very fine grains. There is definitely a difference between good veal and not so good veal. If it's $2 per pound, it's not good. There is so much flavor in this dish that you only need to serve a light salad or a simple vegetable for a complete meal. Trust me when I say, this one will not disappoint you.

origin - Mario Batali
difficulty - medium
health meter - medium

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated caciocavallo cheese *difficult to find, I used provolone and parmesean mixed
1/4 cup currants, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained *I used dried cranberries soaked in hot water and chopped.
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 bunch fresh chopped parsley leaves, reserve some for garnish
1 large egg
2 1/2 pounds veal scallops, cut into thin pieces, about 2-inches wide and 6-inches long
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium-sized onions, cut into 24 chunks, lightly roasted *I omitted because I didn't skewer
24 small bay leaves *I omitted because I didn't skewer
Lemon halves Set out 6 (8-inch) metal or wooden skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes before using. *I used toothpicks instead
10-12 medium sized cremini mushrooms
1 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth with 1 tsp cornstarch whisked in - make sure there are no lumps.

Place a medium frying pan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the bread crumbs. Stir constantly and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be moist, but not wet. Remove from the heat and place the bread crumbs in a bowl. Add the caciocavallo, currants, pine nuts, parsley and egg and gently mix together.

Preheat grill or broiler.

Spread the veal slices out onto a clean work surface. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon equal amounts of the bread crumb stuffing into the center of each veal piece, gently patting the stuffing down. Roll each veal piece into a small roll. Secure with one toothpick per roll and proceed to next red section.

Make the kebabs: Force a skewer through the center of an onion slice, a bay leaf, and a veal roll. Repeat, in the same order, 2 more times. Finish each kebab with 1 last bay leaf and onion slice. Make sure all the ingredients are pressed snugly together.

Brush the kebabs with extra-virgin olive oil and cook over a preheated grill or broiled until tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
To serve, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Heat large saute pan over medium heat and pan fry the rolls with a splash of olive oil for approximately 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add mushrooms to same pan and saute until brown about 4 minutes. Add the marsala wine and reduce by half. Place the veal rolls into the pan and cover and cook for 4 minutes or until veal is cooked through. Thicken the sauce with chicken stock mixture.

Garnish with parsley and grated parmesean cheese.