10-Minute Miracle--Veal Scallopini with Mushroom Sauce

I had some issues getting home from work the other day. Long story short, my parking garage is valet only, and I'm currently driving a rental car. I had lost my ticket, and sent them searching for a white Ford. Unfortunately, I was driving a white Chevrolet...

Anyhow, I'd promised my wife that I would pick up something for dinner. But now I was running late. So, I picked up a bottle of wine, and headed for the fish counter...which was closed. OK, plan B.

I decided to cook something that we found by accident one night when we were tired of chicken and pork, but didn't want steak: veal. Of course, we'd never cooked veal before, and had no idea what to do. So, we went rooting around and picked up some tarragon, white beech mushrooms, and a lemon for a bit of tang. What follows is now one of our favorite recipes. The best part is that it takes 10 minutes, start to finish.

Veal Scallopini with Mushroom Sauce

What you need:

Veal scallopini (I cook for 2, so I use four 1-ounce pieces)
Fresh tarragon, about 1 tbsp., chopped
1/2 cup white beech mushrooms (you might also try shitakes--either way, go for something pretty aromatic: your standard button mushrooms won't cut it)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced white onion or shallots
Juice from 1/4 lemon (you can substitue 1/8 tsp. white wine vinegar)
1/2 to 1 tbsp. butter (depending on how much fat you like)
2-3 tsp. olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a pan when heated)
3/4 tsp. salt & 2 grinds on a pepper shaker
1/3 cup chardonnay (I like Chateau St. Michelle)

What to do with it:

First, preheat an oven to "Warm" and put a plate in it.

Put the butter & olive oil in a skillet on medium-low heat. Add salt, and warm until the butter melts.

Add the garlic, tarragon, onion, mushrooms and lemon juice. Cook until the onions turn translucent (about 3 minutes).

Turn the heat up to medium, push the vegetable matter to the edges of the pan, and put on your veal scallopini. Cook for one minute on one side, and 1.5 minutes on the other. If your onions & garlic start to brown, throw in a bit of your wine.

Take up the veal, put it on the plate, and place in the oven to keep it warm.

Add the wine to the pan, turn the heat to medium-high and reduce the liquid until it thickens. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan. Pull your veal out of the oven, and pour any juice from the plate into the pan. Keep cooking, and scraping the pan. Your sauce should be a light brown color.

Plate your veal, ladle on the sauce, and serve. Sides could include asparagus, rice, or potato-leek soup.

Total cooking time, start to finish: about 10 minutes.

Want the potato leek soup recipe? Ask my wife. She got it from a cookbook. :)