Rahmschnitzel (Veal Escalopes With Cream)
This was one of those classics where I bought the veal escalopes from Waitrose and hadn’t a clue what to do with them. So I had to search for a recipe and then go back for the extra ingredients. The recipe came from Ichef.
But it was worth it. Although, it is a bit high in cholesterol. But I only have a meal like this once a month and I’ve been feeling down this weekend.
The ingredients needed are shown below. Quantities are for four people.
- 4 large Veal escalopes, pounded thin. I used a rolling pin.
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup of Doves Farm Plain Gluten-free Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup Dry white wine
- 8 oz Button mushrooms, wiped clean & sliced
- 2 tablespoons Chopped fresh chives or spring onions
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, grated
- 1/2 cup St. Helen’s Farm double goat’s cream. I used one of their small pots.
The method is as follows.
- In a shallow dish place the escalopes and pour over the lemon juice. Set aside and marinate for 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove the veal from the marinade and dry them on paper towels. Discard the lemon juice.
- Season flour with salt, pepper & paprika. Place the flour on a plate and, one by one, dip the escalopes in it, shaking off any excess. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan, melt 3 T of the butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, place the escalopes in the pan. Fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are lightly and evenly browned.
- Pour in the white wine and bring to the boil. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly. With tongs or a slotted spoon remove the escalopes from the pan and place them on a warmed serving dish.
- Set the dish aside and keep warm while you make the sauce.
- Ad the remaining butter to the pan and melt it over moderate heat.
- When the foam subsides, add the mushrooms, chives or scallions, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the pan and stir well to mix. Cook the mixture for 3 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
- Pour the sauce over the escalopes and serve at once.
It was good. But I made too much. Or at least too much sauce.
An Interview with Bernie Ecclestone
There is a revealing interview with Bernie Ecclestone in The Times today.
Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One chief, said yesterday that he preferred totalitarian regimes to democracies and praised Adolf Hitler for his ability to “get things done”.
He might have done but if you have read Adam Tooze’s book, The Wages of Destruction, about the economic history of the Nazis like I have, you may have a different view to Mr. Ecclestone.
The comments on The Times web site on the whole are hostile.
But if there is a problem that he can do something about it is Formula One. I like it on the television and am old enough to remember the greatest Formula One drive of all when the great Stirling Moss in an underpowered Lotus, outdrove three Ferraris at Monaco.
I went to Spa last year and to say it is boring for those that pay a lot of money to see it is an understatement. Organisation and commentaries were bad and we were very much left in the dark with what happened at the end, when Lewis Hamilton won and was then disqualified.
Compare that with the sort of service you get at horse racing at a gaff track like Yarmouth.
Swine Flu
The son of two of my friends, has just been diagnosed with swine flu. It’s funny, but it seems that mainly the young get it. Perhaps, Dr. Rosemary on the BBC was right, when she said that older people like me got an immunity in the 1950s.
I’ve just sent them this list of swine flu jokes to cheer them up.
Remember that hangovers are now called wine flu.
Living Alone Increases Change of Dementia
Swedish research has shown that if you live alone and have a particular gene variant, you are more likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s. Not good. The full article is on the BBC and here’s an extract.
The researchers studied 2,000 men and women from eastern Finland aged around 50 and again 21 years later.
They looked at their marital status and also carried out genetic tests to see if they carried the gene APOE variant 4.
People living alone in middle-age had twice the risk of dementia than those who were living with a partner.
But widows and widowers had three times the risk of dementia.
And those with the APOE gene variant who had lost their partners and remained living alone had the highest risk of all of developing Alzheimer’s.
Not good.
Fish and Tomato Gratin
Despite the moan last night, I did cook myself a nice supper. I got this recipe from then BBC web site and it is from the Sea Fish Authority. I actually used line caught haddock, from Waitrose, as this is the most sustainable way to buy fish.
I only cooked enough for probably two, so I halved these ingredients, which are for four.
- 450g/1lb haddock or whiting fillets, skinned
- 4 tomatoes, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 55g/2oz Cheddar cheese, grated
The method is as follows.
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. I use an AGA and put it on the bottom of the top oven.
- Lay the fish fillets in a greased ovenproof dish.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic and parsley and season well with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle over the cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
It was simple and good.
Update – July 30, 2009 – I’ve actually started to cook this in a small dish just big enough for one piece of fish, two tomatoes, one clove of garlic and an appropriate amount of cheese.
The Anonymous Widower 