Fried Veal Cutlets

Serve when

Start it first, exactly as Henry insists the cutlets go on before anything else.

Before you start

Veal pounded thin and breaded ahead; the frying takes fifteen minutes, and these hit the pan before the rest.

Cook-along start: ~1:50

In the movie

Theatrical

~02:07:00 On his last day, Henry narrates the dinner he's cooking — including the beautiful cutlets, cut just right, that he plans to fry up as an appetizer before the ziti

During the "last day" sequence, Henry rattles off the whole menu he's cooking around his errands and his mounting paranoia — and the fried veal cutlets are the appetizer he's planning "for before dinner." He dwells on the cutlets being cut just right, one more sign that even on the day it all falls apart he's still a serious cook. This is a reconstruction from that voiceover; the cutlets are named on screen but no recipe is given.

Ingredients

4 thin veal cutlets, pounded even
Salt and black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs
Olive oil, for frying
Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Season the pounded cutlets on both sides. Henry makes a point that they were "cut just right" — even, thin cutlets fry up crisp and cook through fast.
Set up three shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg, breadcrumbs. Dredge each cutlet in flour, then egg, then a firm coat of breadcrumbs.
Heat a generous layer of olive oil in a wide pan until shimmering.
Fry the cutlets a couple of minutes per side until deep golden and crisp, then drain on paper. Work in batches rather than crowding the pan — crowded cutlets steam instead of crisping.
Serve hot with lemon wedges, as the appetizer before the ziti — exactly the order Henry lays out.

Beyond the recipe

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