"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Veal piccata. I have four lovely thinly sliced veal scallops. Now I just
> need to find a decent lemon at one of the vegetable and fruit markets.
>
> Ingredients:
>
> Flour, salt, pepper
> 4 veal scallops, pounded thin

You say they're already thinly sliced... do NOT pound them or they will cook
up dry and tough... if really not so thinly sliced as you like simply slice
them thinner, but do NOT pound. Only tough cuts of meat should be
mechanically tenderized by breaking up the fibers but then they are cooked
long and slow (braised). Veal cutlets for piccata are cooked quickly over
high heat for no more than 1 minute per side. Pounding meat, especially
tender cuts, to make it thinner is something foodtv imbeciles tout because
they are so poorly skilled with a knife. It's easy to slice a 3/8" scallop
into two 3/16" cutlets; lay flat on a board and press lightly with the
stiffened palm, then with a sharp wide knife (chefs) held parallel to the
work surface and at a 45º angle carefully slice through the middle of the
scallop, applying light pressure only on the back stroke-while bringing the
knife towards you... with practice one should be able to make 1/16" thk
slices.. one will be able to feel the blade through the meat and rock the
palm away from the knife edge while slicing. The trick is not to apply any
more pressure than the knife needs to slice while moving... do not push a
non moving blade/you will cut yourself. When the palm is kept stiff with
fingers elevated and the blade edge tipped downward ever so slightly it is
impossible to cut yourself, the worst can occur is that the cutlet will
finish up tapered... practice on boneless skinless chicken breasts, they're
easier because the grain/fibers run horizontally. Never ever under any
circumstances pound meat thin, not unless you want to resole your shoes.
You spent good money for that veal, why pound it into shoe leather.
Actually everyone who owns a meat pounding mallet should right now toss it
in the trash. Even with tough cuts you do not want to mechanically
tenderize by breaking/crushing the fibers, you want to shorten the fibers
by cutting them cleanly... ask your butcher to pass it through the cubing
machine or buy an inexpensive jaquard tenderizer. This is also the problem
with cheap/undersized meat grinders, they crush and extrude the meat more
than cleanly slicing the fibers (smearing).