Veal Parmigiana

Veal Parmigiana is one of my favorite dishes. This Southern Italian dish is traditionally made with fried thin sliced veal, layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. I prefer to prepare meat with the bone in for the added flavor. I also prefer to directly hand-rub the veal with the seasoning rather than mixing them with the breadcrumbs. In this particular version, I butterfly veal rib chops, pound them out real thin, and hand rub them with a light dusting of paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Finally, I prepare my Veal Milanese style, with the cheese mixed into the breadcrumbs as opposed to melting the cheese on top. The result is a very flavorful and crispy Veal Parmigiana, and I recommend you serve this directly over a bed of my marinara sauce with pasta on the side.

Starting at the end of the bone, butterfly the veal rib chops evenly down the middle. Then cover the veal with plastic wrap and pound out meat using a meat hammer. Hand rub the veal with paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Combine bread crumbs, cheese, and parsley in a large bowl. Crack eggs into another large bowl. Mix in water and whip until thoroughly mixed. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. In a pre-heated pan on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Note: as you brown the veal, make sure you add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Dip veal in egg and cover with bread and cheese mix. Brown veal on each side for no more that 2 minutes; then place on baking sheet. Finish in oven for 5-10 minutes. Serve over bed of marinara sauce.