Recipe

Beef or Veal Piccata

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

20 minutes

Servings: 

4

Piccata sauce is all about piquancy, a tangy kick of lemon to bring out the flavors of the rest of the dish. It's great on chicken, fish, even tofu or seitan. (See the Tip below for a vegetarian version of this dish.)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for meat
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 4 6-ounce veal cutlets or beef steaks, 1 inch thick
  • 4 tablespoons capers
  • 2 tablespoons chives

Preparation

  1. For the sauce: Boil stock and wine in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until reduced by about half (to about 3/4 cup), around 3 minutes. Whisk together flour and water in a cup, then whisk into stock. Boil, stirring, 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep sauce warm.
  2. Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan for cooking the meat. Over high heat this will take 2-3 minutes.
  3. While pan is heating, sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Place two steaks in the pan and let sear without moving for 2 minutes, then flip and sear on the other side. If a less rare steak is desired, flip and cook until desired doneness is reached. Move the steaks to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining steaks.
  4. Serve steaks topped with sauce, capers and chives.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with rice or pasta, to soak up the sauce, and a steamed vegetable like broccoli or spinach.

Nutritional Information

326 calories, 15 g. fat, 149 mg. cholesterol, 788 mg. sodium, 5 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. fiber, 35 g. protein