Baby Aria now has eight teeth and two more coming in. And boy, does she like to use them! She’s not fussy at all when it comes to food. Aria and I usually eat the same meal. This evening, I prepared an "escalope de veau au chou fleur", which translates from French to "veal scallopini with cauliflower".
First, I browned slices of veal, then cooked a combination of cauliflower, Granny Smith apples and Sweet Million tomatoes as a side. I tied the dish together with gravy, and for added crunch, I added almond slivers at the last minute.
I have to admit that Aria’s favorite part of the meal was the cauliflower, and she wouldn’t have touched the veal if I hadn’t made her eat it. Lulu often reminds me that he never really liked the taste of meat when he was a child and by the time he was a teenager he happily gave up the idea of ever eating it again. I believe that if you train children to eat everything at a young age, they’ll eat anything as adults. What do you think? Should I influence Aria to become a meat eater?
1. Info for Veal Scallopini with Curried Cauliflower
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 8
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Veal Scallopini with Curried Cauliflower
- 8 boneless veal slices (about 2½ pounds), about 1¼”-thick
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ head cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ Granny Smith apple, chopped
- 1 cup Sweet Million tomatoes (or regular cherry tomatoes), chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 (14-ounce) can beef stock, warm
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons almond slivers
- 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
3. Directions:
- Rinse the meat and pat dry using paper towels.
- Season the veal with salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Sprinkle with baking powder. Toss well. Place the veal in a large bowl or a sealable zip-top bag. Drizzle with wine. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, heat the oil in a large, shallow pot. Add the onions and cook until softened and golden. Transfer to a plate, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.
- Pat the meat dry using paper towels. Transfer the veal steaks one at a time into the pot. Pan-sear the veal for 2 minutes on each side until golden. You can pan-sear them 4 at a time, depending on the size of the pan (don’t over-crowd the pan). Quickly transfer the veal scallopini to a hot platter. The veal will finish cooking in the sauce. Cover the platter.
- To cut the head of the cauliflowers into florets, remove and discard the green leaves and the stem. Cut into wedges from the bottom. Pull and separate the small florets by hand.
- Place the florets in a bowl, cover them with water and add the white vinegar. Stir well. Soak for 5 minutes, then drain.
- In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil, add the cauliflower florets and stir-fry until they’re a little brown. At this point the cauliflower isn’t cooked completely; it will finish cooking in the tomato mixture. Transfer the cauliflower to another plate.
- In the same pan, add more oil if necessary. Add the garlic, curry powder, coriander, paprika and turmeric. Cook on high heat until fragrant. Return the onions, then add chopped tomatoes; mix well. Return the cauliflower and add the apples. Add ¾ cup beef stock. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large platter.
- Melt the butter in the pot. Once it’s melted, add flour. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the beef stock, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat once it’s thickened, then add cream. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the veal scallopini and the cauliflower. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Add flat-leaf parsley and sprinkle with pink peppercorns. Toss well. Check seasoning. Cover and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
- I served it with crusty baguette on the side.
- Bon appétit!
