A quick, simple and delicious dish
If you want a quick but satisfyingly simple meal then beef scaloppine in butter is the one for you.
- SERVES: 4
- PREP TIME: 2 mins
- COOK TIME: 3 mins
- DIFFICULTY: easy
Beef scaloppine in butter
This dish is a bit of a take on a more traditional Southern Italy recipe, beef braciola.
Or in Italian, the word involtini is used which basically means rolls.
Although there are many variations of this dish, the main theme, is thin slices of beef with a savoury filling, rolled up.
The Italians do love to roll their food up!
For example, the delicious porchetta which is perfect the next day sliced and put in a bap.
Or, one of my most recent dishes, Rotolo di Pollo.
However, this recipe is far simpler and takes out the addition of a filling.
Beef braciole (braciola)
Although, I have chosen to do this ‘take’ on a beef braciola i.e. no filling!
It’s worth knowing the original version so you can give this a go at some point as well.
Both are made with thin, individual slices of beef such as flank steak or topside.
Or you can make it with veal or pork… or turkey.
But it always has a savoury filling.
The filling for beef braciole has things like parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, prosciutto or salami.
How to make beef braciole
- Thinly sliced topside or top sirloin beef.
- Pound it out first to tenderize it, then cut it in half width-wise to make it the perfect size to lay slices of prosciutto.
- Place a piece of prosciutto over the pounded beef.
- Top with a combination of Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic and fresh Italian parsley.
- Roll up the sheet of beef to form a roll and put a skewer or tie with butcher’s twine.
- Brown the braciola and add to a nice tomato sauce and simmer for 1 – 2hrs
Beef scaloppine in butter
Right, back to today’s dish, beef scaloppine in butter.
In a nutshell, it’s flattened, lean slices of beef or veal (or pork or turkey).
Coated in parmesan and cooked in a sauce of butter and wine.
And not a million miles away from making a piccata (see chicken piccata, here).
Scaloppine vs. piccata?
Not a huge amount.
Piccata sauce is lemony and bright with wine, broth, and lemon juice.
And then you stir in cream and capers.
Plus, the chicken is first dipped in egg and flour, unlike the beef scaloppine.
Apparently, the most popular scaloppine recipes are topped with lemon, Marsala wine, artichokes or mushrooms.
And is found in northern Italy dishes, especially in Lombardy and Piedmont.
But again, this beef scaloppine in butter is nice and simple.
And some tomatoes and crusty bread to serve it with makes for a superb dish.
Beef scaloppine in butter
Ingredients
- 4 beef or veal scaloppine (approx. 450g)
- 80 g parmesan, finely grated
- 100 g butter
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Rub a little salt and ground pepper onto each scaloppine, then coat thoroughly in grated parmesan and pat it down.
- In a pan, melt the butter until it just starts to brown a little on medium-high heat.Then fry the beef slices for 1 min on each side. Add the wine and simmer for 1 min.Serve with all the juices from the pan and crusty bread.