Vitelloni: Saturday Beefcake

According to The Queens' Vernacular (A Gay Lexicon by Bruce Rogers), "chicken" is gay slang for a young male beneath the age of consent. It came to mean almost anyone who even looked young. It's seems appropriate for those who can't vote, but there's a population greatly appreciated by those in the life that hovers between boyhood and manhood. Federico Fellini, late Italian director of note, came to notice with a fine flick in 1953 called I Vitelloni, which translates "the young bulls." It is also a reference to older veal "from an animal that's 18 to 20 months old, and has cut its first two permanent incisors. The meat is deep pink to fairly deep red, firm, and considerably more flavorful than milk-fed veal, though not as flavorful as that from mature animals. In Tuscany many prefer vitellone for grilling." The young men in Fellini's film were pushing 30 and its plot had to with their avoidance of maturity. Be that as it may, the concept of young beef, so to speak, is not lost here with the presentation of a Sicilian veal dish which can easily be adapted for vitellone.

Vitello al Marsala

750 grams of Veal cutlets thinly sliced
Flour
Sea Salt, Black Pepper
250 grams of sliced mushrooms
125 grams of Prosciutto, chopped
Virgin Olive Oil
Glass of Marsala Wine

Marsala "wine is characterized by its fairly intense amber color, and its complex aroma that shows hints of strong alcohol flavor." It is from a city in Western Sicily of the same name. Both the wine and the place of its origin have an interesting history.

1. Pound the cutlets thin.
2. Dredge in flour, salt and pepper
3. Saute the mushrooms and ham in the olive oil until tender for five minutes or so, set aside
4. Fry the cutlets in the same skillet, a couple of minutes on each side.
5. Piur in wine, mushrooms and prosciutto. Cook over high heat for three minutes
6. Arrange meat on a platter with the resulting mushroom, ham and wine sauce poured over it.

This is for six people. Perhaps you can invite these guys over to help you devour this great tasting food.

Wessel + O'Connor Fine Art: Howard Roffman's The Boys of Bel Ami
111 Front Street, Suite 200 718.596.1700 DUMBO Brooklyn NY 11201
Wednesday-Saturday 11-6 www.wesseloconnor.com