Veal Scallopine with Charred Cherry Tomato Salad

Yesterday was the start of my marathon training for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September. I wanted a light meal for our dinner, because I knew that an hour after we ate I was going out for my first training run. I usually run after my kids go to bed, so I have to plan our meals around what will settle nicely in my stomach and not give me a horrible stitch in my side. I had all the ingredients on hand for this dish, and it fit my "travel light" running requirement.

This recipe piqued my curiosity since I had never tried to grill veal before. I am so glad I experimented, because this was light and delicious...a perfectly balanced meal for my pre-run dinner.

Veal Scallopine with Charred Cherry Tomato Salad
From: Nick Fauchald, Food & Wine magazine, JUNE 2008

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 4-ounce veal cutlets
4 cups baby arugula (4 ounces)
1/2 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 1/2 ounces)

Directions:
Light a grill. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the sherry vinegar, minced shallot and Dijon mustard. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium cast-iron skillet on the grill. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat, shaking the pan a few times, until the tomatoes are charred and the skins begin to split, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the vinaigrette and lightly smash the tomatoes to release some of their juices.

Season the veal with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the veal, turning once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plates.

Add the arugula and the cheese shavings to the tomatoes and toss well. Place the salad alongside the veal and serve.



The Result:
So far, this has to be my favorite at-home veal recipe. It was delicious! I had to make quite a few substitutions, so I think I will just list my recipe differences and call it a day. We served our veal with some steamed broccoli and Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta...YUM! Seriously, if you happen to get some veal at a good price, I would recommend trying this dish.

Okay, here goes:
*I didn't have sherry vinegar, so I combined a tablespoon of sherry with a tablespoon of cider vinegar as a substitution.
*I didn't have cherry tomatoes, so I halved Roma tomatoes, smeared them in olive oil and then grilled those. Then, I peeled them and mashed them into the vinaigrette.
*I didn't use an outdoor grill, but used a grill pan instead.
*No arugula for us...I used mixed salad greens.
*Lastly, I didn't have shallot on hand, so I grated a quarter of an onion on a box grater and incorporated that into the vinaigrette instead.

Despite my long list of substitutions, this dish was still fantastic! I can only imagine it would taste even better if I made it as written.