Daily Italian Recipe · Secondo
Veal Milanese
Golden breadcrumbs, tender veal and clarified butter: Veal Milanese is Lombardy’s beautifully simple secondo. Serve it with a separate rocket and Grana Padano salad, keeping the traditional crust strictly cheese-free.
Total time
35 minutes
Serves
2 people
Difficulty
Medium
Origin
Lombardy
Cotoletta alla milanese belongs to Milan’s culinary heritage: a veal rib cutlet, traditionally cooked on the bone, coated in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in butter. Its character comes from good meat and careful frying, not an elaborate seasoning mix.
The classic rib cutlet retains some thickness, unlike the much wider, thinner version known as orecchia d’elefante, or elephant’s ear. Here, clarified butter gives the breadcrumbs an even golden finish, while Grana Padano appears only in the accompanying salad.
Ingredients
- 2 × 250 g Veal cutlets; bone-in rib cutlets are traditionalShop
- 100 g, without shells Whole eggs, beaten
- 120 g Fine, dry, unseasoned white breadcrumbs
- 150 g Clarified unsalted butter
- 3 g Fine sea salt, divided between cutlets and salad
- 60 g Rocket, washed and thoroughly dried, for the accompanying salad
- 20 g Grana Padano DOP 12 Months, shaved, for the accompanying salad onlyShop
- 10 ml Extra virgin olive oil, for the salad
- 5 ml Fresh lemon juice, for the salad
Method
- 1
1. Prepare the veal
Pat the cutlets thoroughly dry. Make two or three shallow snips through any tight outer membrane, without cutting deeply into the meat, to prevent curling. If necessary, gently flatten only the meat to an even thickness of approximately 1.5 cm; do not pound the bone or flatten into paper-thin escalopes.
- 2
2. Coat with egg and breadcrumbs
Place the beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Dip each cutlet in egg, let the excess drip away, then press into breadcrumbs on both sides and around the meat’s edges. Leave any exposed bone uncoated. Do not add flour or cheese.
- 3
3. Heat the clarified butter
Heat the clarified butter in a heavy frying pan large enough to hold both cutlets without crowding. Aim for approximately 165–170°C: a pinch of breadcrumbs should sizzle immediately without turning dark. If the cutlets will not fit comfortably, use two pans and divide the butter between them.
- 4
4. Fry until golden
Lower the cutlets carefully into the butter. Fry for approximately 4–6 minutes per side, turning once with tongs and spooning hot butter over any pale edges. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady sizzle. Check the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone, reaches 63°C; thickness determines the final cooking time.
- 5
5. Drain and rest
Transfer the cutlets to a wire rack over a tray, season with 2 g salt and rest uncovered for at least 3 minutes. Do not stack or cover them: escaping steam must not soften the crust.
- 6
6. Dress the side and serve
During the rest, toss the rocket with the olive oil, lemon juice and remaining 1 g salt. Add the Grana Padano shavings. Serve the salad separately beside the hot cutlets, keeping its dressing away from the crisp breading.
Chef's secret
Clarified butter provides buttery flavour without the milk solids that scorch during frying. Combine it with thoroughly dried veal and a short, uncovered rest on a rack for a crisp crust that stays attached.
Did you know?
Orecchia d’elefante means “elephant’s ear”: the name describes the broad outline of the thinner, extensively flattened Milanese cutlet variation.
Common mistakes
- Adding Grana Padano to the breadcrumbs: keep the classic Milanese coating to egg and plain breadcrumbs, and serve the cheese in the side salad.
- Using excessive heat: dark breadcrumbs can hide an undercooked centre. Maintain a steady sizzle and check the meat’s temperature.
- Covering or stacking the fried cutlets: trapped steam quickly softens the crust.
Storage & reheating
Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftover cutlets in a covered container within 2 hours and use within 2 days; keep the salad separate. Reheat the cutlets on a rack over a tray in a preheated 180°C oven for approximately 12–18 minutes, until the centre reaches 74°C. Avoid microwaving, which softens the breading. Dress only as much salad as you intend to eat.
Shop the recipe
Delivered across Hong Kong by SF Express or Lalamove.
FAQ
Does authentic cotoletta alla milanese need a bone?
The classic version uses a bone-in veal rib cutlet. The catalogue lists Veal Cutlet 250g without specifying the cut’s format, so check the current product details. Boneless veal can use the same cooking method, but it is an adaptation of the classic presentation.
Can I use ordinary butter instead of clarified butter?
Clarify it first: gently melt about 200 g unsalted butter, skim off the foam and pour the clear fat away from the milky sediment. Weigh out 150 g of the clear fat for this recipe.
Can I order the veal and Grana Padano in Hong Kong?
Yes. Order the listed veal cutlets and Grana Padano from The Italian Club Hong Kong for delivery across Hong Kong via SF Express or Lalamove. The remaining ingredients are pantry items to source separately.