veal with mushrooms and marsala

this was alright but possibly nothing more than that. i suspect i shouldn't have substituted morel mushrooms in the original recipe for dried porcinis. most of the time your dinner will come to no harm from these little experiments but sometimes they just don't quite work. even fresh field or portobello mushrooms would have been better, i think.

the veal is british rose, by the way. i'm still not entirely convinced i should be eating it - the theory behind it is okay but having seen how the calves live, it's doesn't feel right even if they are not kept in dark crates. in any case, this would be nice with steak or even pork chops if you don't eat veal.

i am posting the recipe for record - and in case i do ever lay my hands on morels or some other exciting english mushroom. there is a beardy bloke at our farmers market who only sells mushrooms so you never know...

VEAL WITH MUSHROOMS AND MARSALA
for two

2 large veal escalopes or 4 small ones
a generous handful of dried mushrooms
1/2 bulb of new season garlic or 2-3 cloves of normal
25g butter, fridge cold
50ml marsala
a squeeze of lemon
1tbs chopped parsley or tarragon
olive oil and seasoning

soak the dried mushrooms in some boiling water - enough to cover so probably no more than 100 or so mils - until they are soft. break the garlic into individual cloves and peel.

heat a little olive oil and half of the butter in a frying pan. turn the heat up once the butter has melted and fry your veal escalopes, turning occasionally, until they are cooked and brown. they won't take long though it does depend on how thick they are. once they're done, take them out of the pan and keep warm.

drain the mushrooms - keep the liquid in which they have been soaking - and add them to the pan with the garlic cloves. cook until the garlic has browned and is getting soft - probably 5-6 minutes. (you might need to add more oil to the pan when you are doing this.) add the marsala, then the soaking liquid which should pour through a sieve as it's usually full of grit. let it bubble and reduce by around a half. add a squeeze of lemon juice and the remaining butter, and whisk until the sauce is thick and glossy.

return the veal to the pan to warm through and add the chopped herbs.