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Veal, Chicken, or Fish Francese with Lemon and Wine

5.0

(1)

This meal is a combo of two favorite preparations: francese and piccata. Francese are egg-battered cutlets or fillets, and piccata are simply flour-dredged or plain cutlets or fillets sautéed with lemon and wine. I was never good at making decisions, especially regarding dinner, so I made up this two-for-one dinner. Serve with wilted fresh spinach or green salad.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (twice around the pan)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds your choice: very thin veal or chicken cutlets or flounder fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 eggs, beaten until frothy
2 pinches of freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine (a couple of glugs)
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons (a small handful) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped Crusty bread

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a platter in a low oven to warm. Heat a very large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO and 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet.

    Step 2

    Season the meat or fish with salt and pepper. Coat half the meat at a time in flour, then in the eggs, adding each piece directly to the hot fat in the pan. Sauté the cutlets or fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden and puffy. Transfer the cooked meat or fish to the warm platter and repeat with the remaining cutlets or fillets, using the remaining tablespoon of EVOO and 2 more tablespoons of the butter.

    Step 3

    Once all of the meat or fish has been cooked, add the nutmeg, the juice of half of the lemon, and the white wine to the pan. Scrape up the pan drippings with a whisk. Slice the remaining half lemon into thin disks and add to the sauce. Stir the capers and parsley and the remaining tablespoon of butter into the sauce. Turn off the heat. Shake the pan to combine the sauce. Arrange the lemon slices over the platter, then spoon the sauce evenly over the cutlets or fillets. Serve immediately with crusty bread and greens or spinach.

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