Quick and delicious. Sometimes this is the way to go. You know the days. One of those I-don’t-really-feel-like cooking, ordering in, or driving thru and yet, we must eat ‘cause Ize kinda hungry, nights.

This is a dish for one of those nights when it has to be done quickly (and deliciously) with minimal fuss. And let me tell you, this tastes much mo better than frozen or canned anything. Unless they’ve got bacon in a can and I simply have yet to find it.

Nevertheless, it can often be a challange to whip-up a meal quickly, during the week or otherwise, and make it really delicious. So with me, when I find one of those types of dishes, most of them not blog worthy, I put them into the standard rotation.

The combination of crimini mushrooms in a velvetly wine sauce and gently sauteed veal scallops creates a treat for the palate in truly short order.

There is a consideration here that can transform this dish from good to great and that is the Marsala sauce. I am, of course, now writing to the non-chefs, as if I has any chefs read my blog… Marsala sauce is your basic pan sauce; meat drippings, shallot, butter, and stock along with the Marsala wine. This wine is like port or sherry and it is fortified, meaning that another type of alcohol has been added to it to make its alcohol content higher.

One if the things I found out about Marsala wines is that they are not equal at all. Some are sweet, some are dry, some are semi-sweet. The taste of older Marsala is more pronounced than younger. Well, it is wine, yes?

My suggesstion here is to find one you like. I would think that if you like your wines sweet, try the sweet Marsala wine. I prefer dry wines and I prefer a dry Marsala. I’m not sure, but I thing dry is the traditional Italian way. Don’t quote me on this though. I would highly suggest that you buy your Marsala wine where you buy your better wines not over there in that isle comingling with the salty and verbotten “cooking” wines.

As with most dishes that have been around for a while, there are variations. I couldn’t begin to tell you which manner is authentic. I can, however, tell you this manner tastes good.

Follow up:

Veal Marsala

INGREDIENTS:

6 6oz veal scallopini (I used shoulder) (chicken cutlets can be used as well)
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 shallot minced
4-6 oz crimini mushrooms sliced (use white buttons if you must)
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
salt
pepper
flour for dredging

METHOD:

1. Heat over to 200. Rinse and pat dry veal. If the scallops are more than 1/4 inch thick, use a meat mallot to flatten to 1/4 inch. Salt and pepper the veal. Dredge veal in flour.

2. In a medium pan over medium melt 2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp olive oil. When butter is sizzing but not browned, add veal. Cook in batches. Saute veal 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to warm oven.

3. Add remaining olive oil. Add shallot and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms. Saute mushrooms until tender.

4. Deglaze pan with stock scraping pan bottom. Simmer until stock has reduced 1/3. Add Marsala wine and red wine. Simmer until reduced by 1/2 or more; until you have the desired consistency. Remove from heat. Stir in heavy cream. Stil in remaining butter. Serve veal topped with sauce.

Print this recipe here.