More Italian Fare to be had this weekend!

It was so much fun this morning to chat with Bob at CH Morning Live and make some tasty crostoli (recipe below) and veal sandwiches! Bob filled his with sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers and scapes. It was a tasty one. Hope to see you out at the Festival Italiano this weekend in Guelph

Veal Cutlets with Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is a favourite recipe for entertaining or a great homemade Italian meal. You can freeze these cutlets in sauce and save them for a cold night to warm everyone’s hearts. The leftovers, if there are any make great sandwiches the next day!

1/4 cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour    

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper   

1  egg    

3/4 cup (175 mL) dried Italian seasoned bread crumbs 

1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano    

1 lb (454 g) veal scallopini cutlets   

1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil (approx)

1 batch Homemade Tomato Sauce (see recipe pg xx)

In a shallow bowl, combine flour and half each of the salt and

pepper. 

In another shallow bowl, whisk egg with 3 tbsp (50 mL) of water.

In a third shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the cheese,

oregano, and remaining salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper

over veal. Dredge each cutlet in flour, then into egg, letting excess drip

off. Coat evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Place on waxed paper-lined baking

sheet. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.)

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets, in

batches, and turning once for about 3 minutes or until light golden, adding

more oil if necessary.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

Ladle some of the tomato sauce into a large shallow baking dish. Top with

cutlets, overlapping slightly. Ladle more of the sauce over top. Sprinkle

with remaining Parmesan cheese; cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and veal is no longer pink inside and very tender. 

Makes 4 servings.

Fried Bowties (Crostoli) 

These are one of my favourite sweet snacks. I can eat them literally by the dozens. You can make them of any size you desire but the smaller ones are a bit more delicate and easy to add to a dessert tray. These are great to make ahead and leave at room temperature for a few days before you need them.

2 eggs

3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar

3 tbsp (45 mL) butter, melted

2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp (25 mL)

Vegetable oil for frying

Icing sugar

In large bowl beat eggs and sugar until thickened and creamy. Add butter, lemon rind and salt. Gradually add flour to form dough. Scrape dough onto floured work surface and knead slightly to form smooth dough. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 4 balls. Roll out each ball on lightly floured surface or using a pasta roller machine to 1/8 inch thick. Cut each sheet into about 1 x 5-inch strips. Make a small slit in centre of each strip and cross dough end through centre and pull gently.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in large deep saucepan over medium heat. Place dough pieces in hot oil, a few at a time and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once until light golden. Remove with tongs onto paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining dough.

Dust heavily with icing sugar before serving.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Tip: Test the hot oil with a small piece of the dough. If the oil bubbles around it and the dough rises to the top it is ready to use.