CookTeaser

Serves 2

A CookTale

Once upon a time on Lexington Avenue and
60th Street in NYC was a rather non-distinguished- looking restaurant, with good but not very good food, an atmosphere that could have been mistaken for a luncheonette in the boroughs, and a patronage of some of the most important and well-recognized people in show business, politics, and the city’s professionals. From its opening in 1945 to its closing in May of 2010, Gino’s was a hangout for special New Yorkers, and at least a hangout one night a week for us and a coterie of our friends. A restaurant that knew your name, put your bill in the mail once a month and if known, treated as guests in their home. Salvatore Doria greeting you at the door and Michele Miele sweating in the tiny kitchen just beyond the ladies’ and men’s bathrooms. We have given up New York City, living in Woodstock for more than 20 years, yet those evenings of comfortable dining pleasures are as vivid as if they were last evening…and how often I wish they were!

INGREDIENTS

2 Veal Scallops (6 oz each)
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
5 TB of Butter (2 for the saute pan, 3 for the pan sauce)
2 TB of EVOO
1/2 C of White Wine
1/2 C of Wondra seasoned with Salt & Pepper
1/3 C of Capers (dried on paper toweling)

METHOD

1. Well season the Veal slices with Salt & Black Pepper. Pound them with a tenderizer to about 1/4″ thickness. Set aside.

2. Heat a saute pan to medium-high. Add the 2 TB of EVOO & the 2 TB of Butter. Dredge the Veal slices in the Wondra. Add to the heated pan, & saute for 1 minute a side. Remove to a warm plate.

3. Add the 3 TB of Butter to the pan. Scrape up the pan’s contents & add the Wine. Mix to emulsify & reduce for a few more minutes. Add the Capers.

4. Return the Veal slices to the pan, just long enough to warm the meat. Add the Veal to the plates & top with the pan sauce & Capers.