Veal

Every now and then when we were young, Mom would make breaded veal. It was a delicious treat. Veal is the meat from bovines under one year old. Although there have been some issues with how veal was produced, currently you can find veal produced under humane conditions.

Breaded veal is simple to make. The recipe below is a basic breaded and pan-fry recipe. It can be dressed up by serving the veal with sauces, sides, or even as a sandwich. For example, this recipe can be quickly turned into veal parmesan with some tomato sauce and sliced parmesan cheese on top and them melted under a broiler. But I prefer to keep the veal simple and without topping or sauce to really savor the taste.

Veal 

• Veal cutlet
• 1 egg, beated
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ground black pepper

Coat a skillet with oil and preheat to medium heat. In a shallow dish, beat the egg. In another shallow dish, mix the bread crumbs and pepper. Coat the veal cutlets in the egg. Dredge the veal through the bread crumbs to fully coat. Place the veal on the skillet and cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until browned. Enjoy!

Barbecue Meatballs

I don't remember Mom making meatballs when I was a kid, but I gave this recipe that I found in her recipe box a try. These meatballs are delicious. They remind me of Mom's meatloaf recipe. And we had meatloaf often when I was a kid. I would guess that Mom would rather not spend the time forming the meatballs, so she stuck to the easier recipe.

These meatballs are not too difficult to make, but do require more attention than a basic meatloaf. They are baked in the oven, but need to have the sauce basted while they cook. You can serve them as an appetizer or a main dish. They are delicious on their own or on pasta or as a sandwich.

Barbecue Meat Balls 

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup oil or butter
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup water

Combine meat, bread crumbs, milt, egg, salt, and pepper; mix well. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in shallow pan with oil or butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned. Blend tomato juice and flour; add barbecue sauce and water. Drain excess fat from meat; then pour sauce over meat. Bake for 45 minutes longer, basting twice with the sauce. Enjoy!

Turkey Burgers

Are turkey burgers healthier than beef burgers? Maybe. But even if they are not, this recipe is a good way to mix up burger night. In addition to using turkey instead of beef, this recipe interestingly adds celery, onion and almonds into the mix. And, by coating the burgers in bread crumbs before pan frying, the burgers had a nice crunchy exterior. These turkey burgers are a little bit different but oh so good.

Mom's recipe calls for chopped cooked turkey. This recipe would be great for Thanksgiving leftovers. But, I did not have cooked turkey on hand, so I just used ground turkey and cooked them a little longer. Any type of bun or no bun at all would be great. When we were kids, we often used English muffins instead of burger buns, so I used English muffins for these burgers.

Turkey Burgers 

• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/4 bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. chopped almonds
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• bread crumbs for coating
• butter or oil for the pan

Mix together the first nine ingredients. Chill. Shape into 6 patties. Roll in bread crumbs. Melt butter or oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until browned on each side. Enjoy!