An Italian Repast

I know that it's been quite a while since I last posted a recipe, so I'm rectifying that with two more. These are both dishes that I've posted recipes for before, but the recipes below add a little extra something to the flavor of the dish. The original recipes were from a wonderful Italian cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan; of course they were changed a bit to get what you see below. So I bring to you, revamped and delicious, veal scaloppine with Marsala and cream, and risotto with asparagus. Let's start with the risotto.

What you'll need:
1 lb. fresh asparagus
Salt
3 c. meat or vegetable broth
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, chopped fine
2 c. Arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
Black pepper, freshly ground
1/4-1/2 c. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped fine*

What you'll need to do:
1. Clean the asparagus and cut off the bottom part of the stem where the moist, tender part of the stalk begins. Take a large skillet that is big enough to allow almost all of the asparagus to lie flat and add enough water to fill the pan about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. Add about a tablespoon of salt, cover and put over high heat until it boils.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the cleaned asparagus and recover the pan. Once the water returns to boiling, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Asparagus should still be firm. Remove asparagus from the pan and reserve 3 cups of the water.
3. After the asparagus has cooled, cut off the spear tips and set aside. Cut the remaining parts of the stalks into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces.
4. Add the broth to the reserved asparagus water and bring to a simmer in a saucepan on a burner near where you'll be cooking the risotto.
5. In a deep pan or a broad pot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter, the olive oil, and the onion. Put over medium-high heat and saute until the onion becomes soft and partly translucent. Add the cut-up asparagus (minus the spear-tips) and cook for a minute until the asparagus is well-coated.
6. Add the rice and stir thoroughly to prevent sticking. The rice grains should be well-coated and slightly golden.
7. Begin adding the broth-water mixture a ladle or two at a time to the rice. Let the moisture absorb almost completely before adding more. Continue adding broth and letting it absorb until rice is tender, but still firm to the bite. Rice should have enough moisture remaining to be slightly runny.
8. Remove the rice from the heat and add the asparagus tips, ground pepper to taste, and remaining butter. Mix well, then add the grated cheese. Stir everything together until completely mixed and the cheese has melted. Add salt to taste if desired. Mixed in the parsley and serve.

This recipe is hearty enough that you can have it alone. However, it also makes an excellent side-dish for any meat recipe--like this one.

What you'll need:
1 Tbs. olive oil
2-3 Tbs. butter
1 lb. veal scaloppine or thinly sliced veal cutlets (both will work equally well)
Flour
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 c. dry Marsala wine
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

What you'll need to do:
1. Put the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter into a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the butter foam begins to go away, put the flour in a dish and dredge the veal. Shake off any excess flour and put the meat into the pan.
2. Brown them quickly on each side; because the pieces are so thin, you should not need to cook them more than a minute on each side. You may have to cook the veal in several batches; if this is the case, dredge the pieces of veal in flour only when you're ready to add them to the pan.
3. After each piece has been browned, remove them with a slotted spatula or cooking tongs to a warm plate.
4. Once the veal has all been cooked, turn the heat on to high and add any juices the veal may have shed on the plate. Add the Marsala and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. After the wine has cooked down, add the cream and stir until it has been assimilated into the sauce.
5. Reduce the pan heat to medium, add the browned scaloppine, and turn all the pieces to coat them with the sauce. Remove all the pieces to a platter, pour any remaining sauce over the veal, and serve immediately.

The only thing about this recipe is that you don't get a lot of sauce out of it. If you prefer more rather than less, I would recommend doubling the Marsala wine and whipping cream amounts.

These were the two recipes Brother Dear and I made the last night I was visiting him. Apparently, NY requires that any kind of alcohol--beer, wine, hard liquor, etc.--be sold in stores that are specifically dedicated to that kind of merchandise only. In other words, you can't go to your local supermarket and pick up a bottle of wine for dinner. So it was even odds that the Marsala wine (which is used really only for cooking but I've seen it in liquor sections in stores around here) would be with the other cooking wines at Wegmans. Luckily, it was there and we didn't have to go hunting elsewhere for it.

*Can substitute with 1 tsp. dried parsley, but fresh is best