Cotoletta alla Milanese (Milanese Cutlet)

Cutlet is one of most typical dishes from Milan, sharing the stage with Milanese risotto and “panettone”.
It is a veal cutlet, coated with egg, covered with bread crumbs and then fried in butter with sage. The sage gives a special aroma to the meat, a real delight!

There are two variations of cutlet: one thicker, the meat is more tender and a thinner one, in which the crunchy breading is more prominent. The latter version is sometimes called elephant ear, because of its shape. It should not be mistaken for Weiner Schnitzel from Vienna. The Milanese cutlet includes the bone, whereas Viennese does not. In addition, the Milanese is dredged only in bread crumbs, instead the Viennese both in flour and bread crumbs and then fried in lard. As you will often find in these cases, there is a debate about where this dish comes from. So far there is no definitive answer, but being Italian, I should say that it is Italian … and we are proud of it! It can be served as a main dish served with potatoes or a salad. It is something that I often prepare for a family dinner.

My kids love it, especially when I serve it with homemade potato croquettes.

COTOLETTA ALLA MILANESE (MILANESE CUTLET)

Preparation time: 15 minutes                            Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

4 veal cutlets (about 600 g, 1 ½ pounds)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
400 g (about 2 cups) bread crumbs
70 g (5 tablespoons)clarified butter
2 tablespoons olive oil (extra-virgin)
2 sage leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly beat the eggs with salt in a deep dish
2. Spread out the bread crumbs on a plate
3. Dip each cutlet first in the egg and then cover with bread crumbs, making sure that both sides are well coated
4. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil, add sage and then cutlets without crowding. Cook, turning only once, for about 6-8 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with a wedge of lemon. The lemon juice add a special zest to the fried meat. -Paola