Vitello Spiedino Food

SPIEDINI ALLA ROMANA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 cup olive oil and enough vegetable oil to reach one inch in depth to 375 degrees. Place a piece of bread on work surface. Top with 2 slices mozzarella. Cover with a second slice of bread. Repeat with remaining bread and cheese to make a multi-layered sandwich. Cut sandwich into four equal quarters, and place a 10-inch skewer through the center of each quarter. With a serrated knife, gently remove the crusts and discard.
• Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into a shallow baking dish. Dredge sandwiches in flour, and shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture turning to coat on all sides. Transfer to hot oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides. Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet, and place in oven to keep warm.
• In a medium skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook until golden. Add anchovies, and cook stirring until they almost disintegrate. Stir in white wine, lemon juice, and capers. Bring to a vigorous boil, and continue to boil until reduced by half.
• Stir parsley into reduced sauce. Remove skewers from sandwiches, and serve with sauce spooned lightly over sandwiches. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

CLASSIC ITALIAN VEAL SPEZZATINO

Steps:

• Mix cornstarch, paprika, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Pat veal chunks dry and toss them with cornstarch mixture to coat.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add veal pieces to the pot, one by one, and brown on all sides. Set aside leftover cornstarch.
• Reduce heat slightly and add onion, carrot, celery, and red chile pepper; cook until fragrant, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and wine. Deglaze pot using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom. Add potatoes, tomatoes, peas, and bay leaf. Stir and cover.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until veal is fork-tender, potatoes are cooked, and liquid has thickened, about 1 hour. Add some water from time to time to keep the stew from burning, but don't let it get soupy. Add leftover cornstarch if the stew needs thickening at the end.

VITELLO TONNATO

Steps:

• Place the veal in a casserole large enough to accommodate it. Add the wine and enough water to cover the veal by 1/2 an inch. Remove veal and set aside. Add vegetables and bouquet garni to the water and bring the liquid to a boil. Return the meat to the simmering water, cover and cook gently for about 1 1/2 hours or until the veal is cooked through.
• Remove the veal from the heat and let it cool in its own liquid, remove it from the liquid and the veal is ready. (Boil the remaining liquid down by half and use as you would broth.) Remove strings and thinly slice.
• In a food processor puree until creamy the tuna fish, anchovies, capers, vegetable and olive oils. Add lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice (add more if you wish). Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and fold in the mayonnaise and season very well with salt and pepper.
• Spread bottom of a shallow nonmetal dish with a layer of tuna sauce. Arrange some veal slices, in a single layer, end to end, over the tuna sauce. Cover first layer of veal again with tuna sauce. Build up a second layer of veal and cover with sauce again. End with a generous layer of sauce, (making sure veal is entirely covered so that it does not dry out). Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Serve chilled with steamed haricot verts (French green beans) or asparagus along with wedges of ripe tomato, halved pitted black olives, snipped chives and chopped parsley.