A simple veal cutlet

I am spending more and more time at my new house in the Ariège region. The kitchen is not ready yet so I keep things rather simple.

In this rural region, there are many producers that bring their ware directly to the market and raise their livestock with care.

There is a lady with a van on the Mirepoix market on Monday morning with meat from farmers in the mountains behind Foix. The meat is sealed in plastic packages and I buy for several days, putting it in the freezer.

We had a veal cutlet. It was not lightly pink as crate-raised veal would have been – the colour may be desirable for the client but not for the animal – and the cut was a bit too thick for an escalope. I cooked it in butter for 15 minutes, with a lid on the skillet to protect the freshly painted wall behind the old cooker of my aunt, and poured the juice of one lemon over it at the end.

I removed the veal and let it cool and reduced the sauce slightly before pouring over the meat. Some freshly-ground pepper and we had a delicious meal, with pasta and tomato/fresh herb cheese sauce.