I've been making stuffed veal cutlets with prosciutto and provolone for years, and I thought it was high time I get off my off my behind and start publishing my veal recipes once and for all.
Veal Cutlet Recipe
Let me start off by saying this is a sponsored post about veal, but all of the opinions expressed within this text are my own and even my husband's!
Actually, I've been making this particular veal cutlet recipe for years, and when given an opportunity to work with the Veal Farmers of Ontario, I thought it was high time I get off my off my behind and start publishing my veal recipes once and for all.
Although some of these recipes are French and Mediterranean inspired, the majority of my veal dishes have an Italian flare. In fact, veal consumption can be traced all the way back to Roman times.
That's mind blowing!
When it comes to veal recipes, I'm pretty sure there's been a few updates since then. Veal cutlets are used in some of my recipes, but I also use different cuts of veal as there's so much more to veal than meets the eye.
Using just the cutlet would be doing veal a disservice as it has a lot more to offer.
That being said, the cutlet is the focus of this post and I'm not shy in saying my veal chops are simply to die for. Ditto goes for my veal stew. The list goes on and all will be revealed soon. So, stay tuned, veal lovers. You're in for some gorgeous veal dishes that won't disappoint!
Veal Parmesan
My journey with veal started way back when my son was very young. On weekends, we would take country drives and spend time in nature. More often than not, we'd stop off in a small town and eat at one of those mom and pop restaurants. Quite often, veal parmesan was on the menu and given our love for veal, all three of us would order it.
Don't worry if you're not sure what exactly veal parmesan or veal parmigiana is. You've probably had it before but just didn't know what it's called. Veal parmesan is breaded veal covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella, parmesan or provolone cheese.
So you can understand how these experiences gave me the inspiration to make my own veal recipes and the first one I made were these stuffed veal cutlets with prosciutto and provolone. Needless to say they were a huge success and my family demanded it often.
During those country drives, we'd pass by many farms and my son was curious about them. It sparked several conversations about farming practices that I admit my husband and I knew very little about.
So, I'm honored to share this AMAZING stuffed veal cutlts recipe with you. But before I do, let's take a closer look at veal and shed some light on it.
What Animal Does Veal Come From?
Did you know that veal is the second oldest of all food animals raised next to beef? I had no idea and was astounded by this fact.
Ontario veal is produced with great pride and care by local farm families. Ontariovealappeal.ca is such a great source for recipes and is packed with cooking tips, nutritional facts, cut guides and production information.
Not only does Ontario veal taste great, it's full of nutrients and scores high on the protein scale, which fits in perfectly with a healthier lifestyle many of us enjoy today.
Ontario veal can turn an ordinary weeknight or weekend meal into something special and it's ideal for entertaining.
So, how could I not tell you about my favorite veal cutlets with prosciutto recipe? It would be wrong to keep them to myself; especially since they're part of my regular rotation! Wait until you try them.
What is Veal?
My son's friend was a recent guest at my house enjoying one of my veal dishes when he suddenly became curious about veal and started asking questions. "Where does veal come from and how is veal made?" He asked. When I looked into it, I discovered there was some confusion around the definition of veal and what animal it comes from.
So, it's worthwhile spending a few minutes trying to clear up these misconceptions. Otherwise, some people may be missing out on something really wonderful.
The most fundamental question is: Is veal beef? And the answer is a resounding, yes! It most definitely is.
Veal vs Beef
The only difference between veal and beef cattle is that veal comes from young cattle and beef comes from older cows. That's it in a nutshell.
Veal is far more tender than beef and it's delicate flavor speaks for itself. The calf is leaner and hasn't developed the same amount of muscle as a full-size cow.
For the record, veal is an excellent source of iron, zinc and Vitamin B12, which are essential for overall good health. These vitamins and minerals assist both physical and mental performance, infection resistance and proper growth respectively.
Ontario veal has a vast assortment of available cuts but the most common are shank, shoulder, leg, breast, flank, ribs and short loin. These cuts can be braised, simmered, slow cooked, roasted, grilled and my all-time favorite, pan seared and sautéed.
At it's best, veal should be eaten while still slightly pink. And out of all the red meats out there, veal has the lowest saturated fat content.
That means veal has less saturated fat than pork, beef and chicken.
Given its minimal fat, care must be taken while preparing veal to ensure it doesn't turn out tough. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that veal is often coated or eaten with a sauce.
How great is that? Are you ready to make veal cutlets with prosciutto?
How to prepare veal
The number one thing to keep in mind when preparing veal is how lean it is. Veal must be grilled at a high temperature for a very short period of time or roasted low and slow in the oven, basted regularly or simmered in a liquid like milk.
Yep! That's right. Milk. It tenderizes the veal without drying it out. And I'll be posting the most fabulous veal recipe made with it shortly. My husband swears by it and says if you're a fan of really tender beef, then this dish is right up your alley!
What does veal taste like?
The bottom line is that veal is super fork tender and possesses such a subtle taste, milder than beef. Veal also takes on the flavors you're cooking with. That makes veal versatile and very appealing. And the taste will far exceed your expectations.
No matter which cut of veal you choose, when cooked properly, the results will be melt in your mouth tender. Guaranteed!
Myths about Veal Farming
Myths about how veal production and how veal is farmed persists, but in Ontario today, myths are not the reality at all.
These animals live on veal farms in well-ventilated group housing with plenty of access to light, food and water 24 hours a day.
Traditionally, calves were fed a milk diet or a formula that was suboptimal. No longer providing milk fed veal calves. Today, veal farmers have a greater understanding of calves nutritional needs and so Ontario veal calves are only grain fed.
Veal farmers in Ontario also produce the food fed to the calves themselves. They do it all!
Knowing these facts about the Veal Farmers of Ontario is comforting and makes me even more confident and proud to share my veal cutlets with prosciutto recipe with you.
What is a Veal Cutlet?
Veal cutlets are boneless portions of meat from the leg of the calf.
How to Cook Veal Cutlets
Basically, veal cutlets need to be treated like any thin cutlet or fillet. If pounded too thin with a meat hammer, they can be easily overcooked. So timing is key.
Fundamental to making a breaded or stuffed veal cutlet starts with seasoning, breadcrumbs, flour and eggs.
Nothing fancy, but easy peasy and oh so tasty.
Stuffed Veal Cutlets with Prosciutto and Provolone
- veal cutlets
- provolone cheese
- parmesan cheese
- prosciutto
- eggs
- panko breadcrumbs
- unsalted butter
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- sage
- rosemary
- wine or water
- garlic, if desired
- onions, if desired
- lemon wedges for serving, if desired
- toothpicks
How to Make Stuffed Veal Cutlets with Prosciutto and Provolone
In a small dish, soak dried sage and rosemary inside the wine to rehydrate until needed. You could simply use dried, chopped parsley leaves but I prefer the flavor of sage and rosemary.Such a great trick and hopefully one you will use with other recipes.You'll be so glad you did this. It's a wonderful little trick.
You can soak dried spices in wine or water. Wine is a flavor enhancer and adding dried spices breathes life into the veal.
Decide whether you want to pound your cuts of veal. To make one portion, you need two around the same size. A ¼ inch thick is ideal. Less than that may result in overcooked veal and that's the last thing you want.
If the cutlets are thicker than ¼ inch, you'll need to dry the cutlets with paper towel. Next, evenly pound your cutlets using a kitchen hammer between two pieces of plastic wrap until they're a ¼ of an inch thick.
Dry them off and match the veal cutlets up in pairs to make up each portion. Trim as necessary or use a kitchen hammer to pound parts of veal cutlet so they become the same size!
Once you have your cutlet pairs, set half of your veal cutlets aside, keeping track of which half belongs to which.
Sprinkle some of the wine (or water) soaked sage and rosemary mixture on top of each veal slice.
Place provolone slice on top of spice mixture, in the center of each piece of veal, leaving between ¼ and ½ an inch around the outer edge of each veal cutlet.
Put a slice of prosciutto on top of the provolone, adjusting and cutting the slice as necessary to fit on top of the veal. Ensure there's no excess hanging over edge of veal.
Sprinkle wine soaked sage mixture on top of prosciutto. Place second cutlet half over prosciutto and press around the edges to seal and make sure nothing is sticking out the sides.
Using toothpicks, seal up edges like you're a sewing machine in an attempt to keep all of the cheese inside until ready to eat!
Next, whisk eggs until scrambled. Set aside.
Using another shallow bowl, place panko, sage, rosemary and season with salt. Stir and set aside.
Put flour on another shallow plate and set aside.
Working with one prepared stuffed veal cutlet at a time, cautiously dip veal first in flour mixture until coated. Gently shake off excess.
Next, dip veal cutlet in egg mixture and allow excess egg to drip off.
Dredge each stuffed veal cutlet carefully in panko crumbs until totally covered. Again, gently press into crumbs to ensure veal sticks, if necessary.
Place dipped and breaded veal cutlets on top of the wire rack until needed.
Add some butter and oil to your skillet over medium high heat.
Once hot, add veal making sure the stuffed veal cutlets aren't touching each other.
Cook cutlets until a gorgeous golden brown color.
Once first side is a beautiful golden brown, flip using two spatulas for best results. I haven't had much success flipping with pinchers because they tend to squeeze the cheese out! Spatulas work so much better in my opinion.
Continue to cook until it looks amazing too; about another three to five minutes of cooking time.
Place veal cutlets on top of paper towel lined plate, platter or baking sheet until ready to serve.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges (the lemon juice adds wonderful flavor to the veal) and salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy every bite!
Stuffed Veal Cutlets with Prosciutto and Provolone Video
Stuffed Veal Cutlets with Prosciutto and Provolone
Equipment
- rack
- toohpicks
Ingredients
- 4 veal cutlets, about ¼ inch think, halved crosswise
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 4 thin prosciutto slices
- 2 large eggs
- ¾-1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt for panko
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons wine or water
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, dried, divided
- 1 teaspoon sage, dried, divided
Instructions
- Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a rack coated in cooking spray. Set aside.
- Using a plate or platter that will hold all of your veal cutlets, and line with a few layers of paper towel. Set aside.
- Place 1 teaspoon of sage and 1 teaspoon rosemary inside 2 tablespoons of wine or water to soak until needed.
- Slice your onion.
- Mince your garlic.
- Pat 2 cutlet halves dry with paper towels and place between 2 layers of plastic wrap. Pound cutlets into rough 5 by 4-inch rectangles; about ¼ inch thick, using a meat pounder, if desired. Set half of your veal cutlets aside.
- Usually slices of provolone are round. If using mozzarella or another cheese trim slice to fit on top of veal leaving a ½ inch edge.
- I usually slice mine in half.
- Place your veal cutlets at your work station.
- Match up the two that are closest in size. You should now have two pairs of veal cutlets.
- At your workstation, sprinkle or brush ½ teaspoon of the wine soaked sage and rosemary mixture on each slice of veal.
- Place a provolone slice on top of the spice mixture, in the center of each piece of veal, leaving between ¼ and ½ an inch around the outer edge of each veal cutlet.
- Place a slice of prosciutto on top of the provolone, adjusting and cutting the slice as necessary to fit on top of veal. There can be no excess or anything hanging over edge of veal.
- Place second cutlet half over prosciutto and press around the edges to seal and ensure nothing is sticking out the sides.
- Using between 4 and 6 toothpicks per stuffed veal, seal up edges like you're a sewing machine! Do this over under a couple times with each toothpick. Your goal is to try and keep all of the cheese inside until ready to eat.
- In a shallow dish, whisk eggs until scrambled. Set aside.
- Put all of the panko breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. Add 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon rosemary and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Stir and set aside.
- Next, place flour on a shallow plate and set aside.
- Working with one prepared stuffed veal cutlet at a time, cautiously dip first in flour mixture until coated. Gently shake off excess.
- Then dip in egg mixture and allow excess egg to drip off each veal cutlet.
- Dredge each stuffed veal cutlet carefully in panko breadcrumbs until totally covered. Again, gently veal into crumbs so it sticks, if necessary.
- Place dipped and breaded veal cutlets on top of the wire rack until needed.
- In a skillet over medium high heat, add butter and olive oil.
- Once shimmering or a drop of water flicked in it dances, add garlic and onion. After a couple minutes it's time to add your veal.
- Carefully place cutlets inside your skillet. There must be at least a half an inch between each of veal cutlet to cook properly. If this isn't possible, you may have to cook the veal in batches or use a larger frying pan.
- Cook cutlets for at least 3 minutes until they're a deep golden brown color on the first side. If veal starts to brown in 1 or 2 minutes, reduce the temperature to medium as it means your veal is cooking too fast. The veal should be a nice brown color within 3-5 minutes before flipping.
- Once the first side is a beautiful golden brown, use two spatulas to flip over. I haven't had much success flipping with pinchers because they tend to squeeze the cheese out! Spatulas work so much better in my opinion.
- Continue to cook remaining side until it takes on that amazing golden brown color too; another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Place finished veal cutlets on top of your paper towel lined plate or platter until ready to serve.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy every bite!
Notes
- lemon wedges for serving, if desired
- garlic, smashed, while frying onions over medium heat, if desired
- onion, sliced, while frying over medium heat, if desired
- peppers, spinach squeezed dry, onions, sautéed first if stuffing inside veal sandwich
Nutrition
Rosalee says
Delicious as usual Thank you again for sharing ?
Karin and Ken says
As always you are most welcome! Happy to have you with me on my food journey! Take care. Karin
Rayna says
Excellent recipe and my cheese stayed inside my veal!!!!! Thx for a great recipe!!!!!! I’ve never seen veal stuffed like this You can stuff so many different things inside Thank you Karin
Karin and Ken says
As always you are most welcome! It’s true you can stuff anything inside and everything tastes great that I have tried so far! This technique does make stuffing veal super easy! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe as much as we do! All the best. Karin
Britt @ My Daily Randomness says
A very informative post about veal - well done! This recipe also sounds amazing! There are so many ways to cook veal and so many complementary flavours!
Karin and Ken says
Thank you! This veal dish is delicious and definitely worth a try! Take care. Karin