Helen O'Connell's Veal Bolognese

Helen O'Connell's Veal Bolognese

For the sauce:

1 qt. good, homemade stock or canned beef broth
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
About 2 tbsps. cornstarch

Heat stock or beef broth in saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add parsley and mushrooms. Bring to boil, simmer until mushrooms are tender. Add wine.

Remove small amount of broth from saucepan, cool slightly. Stir cornstarch into cooled broth until smooth; return mixture to broth, stirring constantly.

Cook, stirring, over medium heat until smooth and thickened only slightly. (It should not be much thicker than water.) Set aside.

For the veal:

1 egg
About 1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
2 tbsps. finely minced parsley flakes
2 ozs. grated Parmesan cheese
8 (4 ozs. each) veal cutlets
About 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil
8 slices baked ham
8 slices mozzarella cheese

Combine egg, milk, salt, pepper, parsley and Parmesan cheese; mix well. Pound cutlets until they are quite thin; dip into egg mixture; then into bread crumbs. Press cutlets firmly into bread crumbs, so they are dry. Heat olive oil in heavy skillet. Fry cutlets until golden brown on both sides. Drain well on absorbent paper and keep hot. Place a slice of ham and then of cheese on each cutlet. Place on broiler rack and heat until cheese melts and becomes speckled with brown. Serve with sauce. Serves 8.

Thoughts: Helen O'Connell's veal is hearty and filling. Complete the meal with thick slices of garden-ripe beefsteak tomatoes and-or green beans for an easy-to-fix summer dinner. If preferred, thinly sliced ham and cheese can be grated and placed between a double thickness Of thin veal scallops before dipping in egg and bread crumbs. Fry or deep fat fry to serve. Toothpicks help secure ingredients in place.