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Lidia Bastianich, the “First Lady of Italian cuisine and restaurants in the United States," shares her favorite recipe on Secret Sauce: Pork Scaloppine with Mushrooms and Marsala.
"We have all seen countless dishes called al Marsala on the menus of Italian-American restaurants. Too often, I have found, they disappoint me. The pork scaloppine I enjoyed at the Ferdinando brothers’ trattoria reminded me that this simple preparation depends so much on the quality of the wine that is splashed into the skillet. And I was not surprised to learn that the superb sauce coating the meat was made with a carefully chosen Marsala, dry and aromatic. After all, the town of Marsala lies just a few hours west of Palermo, and from that western tip of the island comes all authentic Marsala, in a wide range of vintages, colors, and degrees of sweetness.”
Try out this tasty simple dish and wow your dinner table tonight. Here's how:
Procedure:
- Trim the pork loin, leaving only a thin layer of fat, and cut it crosswise into twelve equal slices. Using a meat mallet (or other heavy implement), flatten and spread the slices into scaloppine about ¼ inch thick. Season lightly on both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the scaloppine in the flour, coating both sides, and shake off the excess.
- Meanwhile, put 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet, set over medium-high heat. When the butter begins to bubble, lay four or more scaloppine in the skillet—as many as can lie flat without crowding—and let them sizzle in place until the underside is opaque and tinged with brown, about 3 minutes. Flip them over and color the second side for a couple of minutes; then lift out the slices, let the fat drain off, and put them on a platter. Add a bit more olive oil and/or butter to the skillet if it seems dry, and fry the rest of the scaloppine in the same way.
- When all of the pork is browned, pour off the frying oil but leave any crusty caramelization in the skillet. Put in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter, and return to medium-high heat. When the butter is foaming, drop in the shallots and sage leaves, and cook, stirring, for a minute. Scatter the sliced mushrooms in the pan, season with ± teaspoon salt, and stir continuously as the mushrooms sizzle and start to release their juices. Cook, tossing and stirring, until the moisture has evaporated and the mushroom slices are shrunken, soft, and caramelized, 6 minutes or more.
- Pour in the Marsala, raise the heat, and stir until it boils. Let the wine bubble and reduce for a minute or two, then stir in the stock. Bring to a boil, and cook at a gentle bubbling pace until the sauce is slightly viscous but loose, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- One by one, slide the scaloppine into the simmering sauce, and pour in any juices accumulated on the platter. Shake the pan, spoon sauce over scaloppine, and flip them over once or twice, until they're heated through and glistening with sauce on both sides. If the sauce is too dense to coat all the meat, loosen it with a bit of stock. Turn off the heat, sprinkle the parsley all over, and serve.
The finest Marsalas, aged a minimum of 10 years, are ranked with the great fortified wines of the world—sipping one of these is a pleasure you shouldn’t miss. But for good cooking, I recommend a moderately priced Superiore (aged 2 years) or Superiore Riserva (aged 4 years).
I always prefer dry (secco) Marsala, even for desserts like Espresso Zabaglione; for these scaloppine, secco is a must.
About the Chef:
Lidia Bastianich is star of the 52-part television series, Lidia's Italian American Kitchen and the 39-part Public Television show, Lidia's Italian Table.” Her television show, Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen, began airing in January, 2001 and is accompanied by her third cookbook by the same name, released in October 2001 (Knopf). Lidia’s Italian Table was released in September 1998 together with a companion book of the same name (William Morrow, 1998). In addition, Lidia is the author of the monthly column, Lidia’s Italian Table, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. Her most recent book, Lidia’s Italy, was published by Knopf this past Spring.
Lidia is also considered an acclaimed chef and restaurateur. She is the owner of the award-winning FELIDIA restaurant and, with her son Joseph, runs the very popular theater district eatery BECCO. Lidia is also a partner in ESCA restaurant with her son Joseph and Mario Batali. Lidia and Joseph’s first venture outside of New York City was at LIDIA’S KANSAS CITY with managing partner David Wagner, a native of Kansas City. The restaurant, which has now also expanded to LIDIA’S PITTSBURGH, combines the cuisines of both Felidia and Becco restaurants. The concept of LIDIA’S will continue to expand in other mid-size cities across the U.S. during the upcoming years.
Lidia developed her own line of pasta sauces, LIDIA’S FLAVORS OF ITALY, with one of her television sponsors in 1998. Colavita USA, the distributor, began working in the tri-state market and has found much success. Currently the sauce line is found nationwide, and she is working on an exclusive product for Williams Sonoma stores.
Visit Lidia Bastianich on the web @ lidiasitaly.com.
