Author Notes
Crisp, golden breadcrumbs coating a tender veal chop: the cotoletta alla milanese is a classic of Milan's cuisine, up there with saffron-stained risotto, osso buco and panettone. It gets its name from the cut of meat traditionally used, la costoletta, an inch-thick bone-in veal chop, which would correspond to a prime rib cut, such as rib eye. A second version of the cotoletta is made with a beaten-out-till-enormous-but-thin cutlet of veal, aptly called l'orecchia di elefante (elephant's ear), as reference to its size and shape. It's for those who like their fried goods crunchy all the way.
It's easy to make and good results are achieved when following a few golden rules.
Keep that coating on: Traditionally, cotoletta alla milanese is made with just egg and breadcrumbs but dusting it with flour too helps keep the breadcrumb coating on. Don't put salt on the meat or in the coating as it will lead to the breadcrumbs falling off -- season at the end (you can, however, season the breadcrumbs with some grated Parmesan or freshly ground nutmeg, as some do). As soon as you put the chop in the pan, do not touch it until it's ready to turn. One turn only.
Keep it crisp: Leaving the breadcrumbed chops to rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes before frying will result in a crisper coating. Pan fry on medium heat. Too cool will result in a soggy breadcrumb coating and too hot will burn. If you notice your pan getting too hot, adding some cold butter is a good way to even out the temperature quickly.
A cotoletta is usually served with a lemon wedge to cut the fried-in-butter goodness, but after all that work to get the perfectly golden, crisp breadcrumb coating, some may think it's a bit counterproductive as it immediately turns your work soggy. Better would be to serve it with a glass of wine -- a sparkling Franciacorta would do the trick. —Emiko
Ingredients
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4
veal chops, such as bone-in rib eye
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2
eggs
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1 cup
(125 grams) breadcrumbs
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3/4 cup
(6 ounces or 170 grams) clarified butter
Directions
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Pat the veal chops well with kitchen paper so they are as dry as possible. In a shallow bowl, crack the eggs and beat. In another bowl, place the breadcrumbs.
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Dip the chops in the beaten egg, letting any excess egg drip off before placing in the breadcrumbs to coat entirely. Pat down the breadcrumbs well. Rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
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Place the clarified butter (see this article for how to easily make this: http://food52.com/blog/5871-how-to-make-clarified-butter-and-ghee) in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the chops until golden brown. Turn the chops once and continue frying until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes per side. You may need to cook just two chops at a time; if doing this, use half the butter for each pair of chops.
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Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to rest the meat. You may want to place it somewhere to keep warm, such as in a low oven (or an oven that was heated and then turned off), but do not cover it or place it directly on a plate as it will become soggy. Season with salt and serve warm with a wedge of lemon if desired.
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