The scaloppina (in the plural, scaloppine) and its manifold variations may be the most common secondo in Italian cooking. To me, it is typical of that Italian knack for using a bland main ingredient as a foil for a flavorful sauce. Pasta is the example we all know and love, but in the case of Scaloppini Marsala, una fettina di carne, or a slice of meat, serves as the foil instead.
Veal is the classic choice, as it has only a very mild flavor of its own. These days, turkey or pork (and, particularly outside Italy, chicken breast) provide less expensive alternatives.
Scaloppini Marsala looks very elegant on a serving platter, but it is really very quick and easy to make, as perfect for a weekday supper as it is for an important dinner for company.
Ingredients
- 4 slices of veal, cut from the loin (or pork loin, turkey breast or chicken breast)
- Flour
- 50g (1/2 stick) of butter, or a combination of butter and oil
- Salt and pepper
- A glassful of dry marsala wine
Directions
Take your slices of meat and, placing them between two sheets of waxed paper, give them a good thumping with the back of a heavy skillet—or with a meat pounder, if you have one. This will thin them out even more and break down some of the fiber in the meat, rendering it more tender.
Meanwhile, heat the butter (or butter and oil, or even just oil if you’d rather) in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add the slices, which you will have very light floured just beforehand. Make sure they are not crowded in the pan or they will not brown properly. (If your skillet is not big enough to hold all the slices at one go, you can proceed in batches.)
Sear them for just 30 seconds or so on each side, seasoning well with salt and pepper. They should lightly brown around the edges. Remove the slices to a heated platter and keep warm. (A toaster oven set to ‘warm’ is perfect for this.)
Add the marsala to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let it reduce until it forms a syrupy sauce. Then, turning off the heat, add the slices back to the pan and turn them around to coat well.
Arrange the slices on a warmed platter, pour over any remaining sauce in the skillet, and serve your Scaloppini Marsala immediately.
Scalloppine al marsala
Ingredients
- 4 slices of veal cut from the loin (or pork loin, turkey breast or chicken breast)
- Flour
- 50 g 1/2 stick of butter, or a combination of butter and oil
- Salt and pepper
- A glassful of dry marsala wine
Instructions
- Take your slices of meat and, placing them between two sheets of waxed paper, give them a good thumping with the back of a heavy skillet—or with a meat pounder, if you have one. This will thin them out even more and break down some of the fiber in the meat, rendering it more tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the butter (or butter and oil, or even just oil if you'd rather) in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add the slices, which you will have very light floured just beforehand. Make sure they are not crowded in the pan or they will not brown properly. (If your skillet is not big enough to hold all the slices at one go, you can proceed in batches.) Sear them for just 30 seconds or so on each side, seasoning well with salt and pepper. They should lightly brown around the edges. Remove the slices to a heated platter and keep warm. (A toaster oven set to 'warm' is perfect for this.)
- Add the marsala to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let it reduce until it forms a syrupy sauce. Then, turning off the heat, add the slices back to the pan and turn them around to coat well.
- Arrange the slices on a warmed platter, pour over any remaining sauce in the skillet, and serve immediately.
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What region is this from exactly? I have heard either Sicily or Lazio
Well, I wouldn’t want to swear to it, but since Marsala is a Sicilian wine as you probably know, I’d say the dish was probably Sicilian in origin. In Lazio saltimbocca is de rigueur…
Beautiful recipe! I would love to know whether you prefer a sweet or dry wine for this.
For me, dry!
Thanks again, folks, for all your wonderful comments. Yes, indeed, sometimes those old-fashioned simple recipes are really the best!
@Lori Lynn: Coming from such a fantastic food photographer as yourself, I'm truly honored by your comment!
Hi Frank – great post describing a simple yet elegant dish. It's difficult to photograph brown colored foods but your shots are really excellent!
LL
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This is one of my favorite meals…sometimes I add mushrooms!! Love your blogs 🙂
I've been using thin cuts more often later and going back to this simple recipes I got to know and used to love as a child. Scaloppine are really quite tasty, easy and fast to cook and also much lighter than a lot of other meat dishes. Now I feel like heading to the grocery store and grab some scaloppine!
Deeelish!
I always look forward to the stories behind your recipes.I learned something new 🙂
That looks fantastic! I bet it tastes even better than it looks. I also enjoy scalloppine.
so many times I use this method when making Creole dishes with chicken and pork… even the same elements for fish… so nice to read more about it…
This sounds delicious! I love Marsala, it is so yummy with chicken!
Thanks, friends!
@Kath: Yes, definitely dry. I should specify!
@Belinda: No need to imagine, you can make it… 🙂
@Andrea Elena: Tante grazie!
@Ciao Chow Linda: Glad I could bring back the memories… fond ones, I hope!
Frank – This brings back memories of decades ago. Veal Scaloppine was the first dinner party dish I made as a newlywed when my in-laws came to visit.
Beautiful story! beautiful pictures!great taste! una grande piacere per il palato…Ti auguro ogni bene!
I can only imagine the aroma of that intense flavor!
I loved your photo of the scalloppine on facebook, so now I'm glad to see how you made it! 🙂 I'm assuming you use a dry marsala….is that correct? Thanks for another great recipe!