Veal Scaloppini Marsala with Peppers

Not to complain (too much anyway), but the Natural Foods Market here doesn't have the greatest meat selection in the world.  Boo hoo.  Poor me.  No neighborhood friendly butcher. So, when I laid eyes on a lone package of veal, cut for scaloppini, you can believe I grabbed it quick.

One of my favorite dishes is Scaloppini Marsala from an old Italian cookbook, which I believe has been mentioned before on this blog.

It merges beautifully with a variety of vegetables on a bed of Linguini.  Rachael Ray adds mushrooms and green olives, but since I had these vari-colored peppers, that was the happening thing.

You might have to pound your veal scallops between sheets of wax paper if they aren't as thin as they should be.  Mine were just about perfect and I only had to beat on one or two, just a bit.
Back on the subject of meats procured locally, to digress just a bit, I read in the February issue of Bon Appetit that (if you got past the fabulous decadent brownies on the cover), hunting wild boar on the Big Island of Hawaii is becoming a high-end touristy (macho hunter types) thing to do.  Also, that the USDA has recently approved restaurant use of wild boar.  I live here but had to find out about it in Bon Appetit. Ha.  This is a good thing though for local hunters and chefs as well as the rest of us, just possibly. Since wild pigs thrive here, along with feral sheep, game birds and deer, hunting is a sustainable way of keeping the numbers balanced with cattle raising and agriculture, and the forest reserves.

Unfortunately, the right hand of government doesn't always (how about never) know what the left hand is doing.  There is a House bill set for hearing, that will target any animal life in Hawaii that is not under direct human control.  Wholesale killing of feral animals in other words. Which they are currently doing to wild sheep, from helicopters.  Yuck, is all I can say to that. 

Veal Scaloppini Marsala with Peppers

Serves 2-3

1 cup sliced mild peppers (mushrooms, olives, zucchini and or onions would also be good)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 veal scallops, 1/4 inch thick, preferably cut from upper leg
flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1/2 cup veal or beef stock
1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram
1/2 lb. linguini

Saute the peppers in olive oil over medium heat until just tender.  Remove from pan and set aside in a warm place.  Meanwhile bring your pasta water to a boil.

Pound the veal cutlets between sheets of wax paper if they are not thin enough.  They should be as thin as possible without breaking through.  Season with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour.  Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over fairly high heat until golden, and quickly brown the slices of veal, half at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer to the plate with vegetables and keep warm.

Add stock and wine to the pan and stir up the drippings, reducing over high heat to half the quantity.  Add the marjoram.  Remove from heat and swirl in the remaining butter, bit by bit.  Add in the veal and vegetables.  Serve on a bed of hot linguini, tossed with a drizzle of olive oil.  Add a side salad, some nice crusty bread, a glass of Sangre de Toro, and you're set for absolutely delicious.

This is my contribution for the weekly pasta get together over at Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this time by Allie of Yum in Tum. Also going to Hearth 'n Soul Blog Hop.   Join us for a great collection of recipes.