We're not tackling the age-old question of whether the cotoletta or costoletta – the bone-in rib cutlet – is the Milanese version of the Austrian wiener schnitzel or if Milanese chefs inspired their fellow cooks in Vienna. After all, Lombardy was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so it doesn’t really matter. Plus, ours is made with veal and theirs with pork.
Our time would be better spent pondering the “thick or thin” dilemma. The l'orecchio d'elefante (elephant’s ear) is the large, thin version, yet the meat is not pounded so excessively that it's overpowered by the breading, as Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco once indicated.
Regardless, a cotoletta should always be fried in clarified butter. Embellishments like lemon, rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and arugula, are “forbidden,” but there's nothing taboo about breaking the rules every once in a while.
Cracco one and Cracco two
Speaking of the chef from the Veneto, Cracco has no qualms about breaking the rules. His “Milano sbagliata” (wrong cutlet) separates the breading from a hunk of Fassona veal from a calf that's less than two years old. It’s not on the menu of the namesake restaurant in Milan’s Galleria, but rather at his Bistrot. The thick, boneless slice of veal tastes tender and delicious, even without dunking the pieces into the pink sauce.
Cracco Bistrot
Thus spoke Marchesi
The late Gualtiero Marchesi was the first Italian chef to earn three Michelin stars. Some of today's leading chefs (including said Carlo Cracco) honed their talent in his kitchen. He described the journey of his cotoletta as such, “I was making the cutlet as thick as the bone, but people often didn’t understand, they were unaware that it needs to be crispy outside and pink inside so that the meat’s juices and flavor stay intact. They complained that it wasn’t cooked. So in 2000, I decided to cut the meat into small cubes, one with the bone attached. Then, after deep-frying them in clarified butter, the cubes were served nice and golden, and no one dared say anything again.” In a few instances, we remind him, they were reassembled to form the traditional dish, but the best was when they were served on a plate specifically designed by the chef himself containing markings for where to place the individual pieces. His legacy lives on via a Third Millennium at Il Marchesino restaurant at La Scala, the legendary opera house.
Il Marchesino
Veal is the best, but pork is also good…
There are secrets and techniques associated with the recipe. “Naturally, it calls for veal loin,” says the award-winning, Michelin-starred chef Claudio Sadler, “but I don’t disdain pork, which is very tasty and, if it’s Italian, is also nice and lean. In that case, instead of milanese, I call it maialese (maiale is Italian for pig). In any case, I choose veal, I coat it in egg yolk only, then in a mixture of grated Pane d’Altamura, a special Puglian bread, and Japanese panko, which makes it crispier. Everything is made at the last minute, so the breading doesn’t have time to get soggy and fall off. Finally, I serve it sliced – so you can see how it’s cooked, with the meat still pink inside – and sprinkled with Maldon salt. If someone comes to Chic n’ Quick [his casual eatery], they can choose a thick or thin cotoletta.”
Chick'n'Quick
Whereas in Locanda Perbellini , a bistro from Michelin-starred Veronese chef Giancarlo Perbellini, adds bean flour to the breadcrumbs and eggs in the breading. He accompanies it with a fragrant salad and a tomato confit mayonnaise. The result is fried excellence and perfectly tender meat.
Locanda Perbellini
The certainties in Milan
In addition to the aforementioned restaurants, Milan has plenty of other places whose cotolette are worth the trip alone. Head to Ratanà (reservations are required, two days ahead!) or in other food meccas like the renovated Liberty and Trattoria del Nuovo Macello known for a thick version that's still pink inside. For a super chic backdrop, head to Terrazza Gallia where it's served for two, divided at the table, or Osteria con Vista on the roof of the Triennale museum. You’ll find the “average” thickness well represented at Arlati in the suburbs and at Corso Garibaldi's Osteria Brunello and Nuova Arena. The latter has the distinction of having (successfully) introduced it to soccer legend Lionel Messi the day after Barcelona played A.C. Milan. Traditionalists would urge you to order it without arugula and cherry tomatoes.
Trattoria Nuovo Macello
For the thin “elephant ear” versions, we suggest Testina, Il Ronchettino, Al Garghet, L’Altra Isola – where it is famously prepared by a Chinese cook, the student of former owner Gianni Borrelli – and Osteria alla Grande. Of all the places mentioned, the latter has the most unpretentious ambiance, clientele, and atmosphere. And then, as already mentioned, there is Locanda Perbellini, a new place where the two-Michelin-star chef from Verona also included it on the menu as a tribute to Milan.
Outside the city
In case you find yourself on the outskirts of the Lombard capital, these are some of the best cutlets within a 20-mile radius. As far as we're concerned, it’s a must-eat at Antica Trattoria del Gallo in Gaggiano, a comune in Milan's southeast outskirts. Here, owner Paolo Reina serves both thick and pounded versions. At Osteria Magenes, also in Gaggiano, the Guidi brothers prepare a stellar version. The cutlets at Monza’s Derby Grill at the Hotel de la Ville and the award-winning Pomiroeu in Seregno, a town halfway between Milan and Lake Como, won’t let you down. Finally, if you are absolutely crazy about the dish and want to satisfy a once-in-a-lifetime whim, head to the three-star Michelin-rated Da Vittorio in Brusaporto. Here, the Cerea brothers serve a thin version made from Piedmontese suckling veal that around 20 inches in diameter. To make the breading they use eight eggs, one pound of grated white bread, and ¼ lb. of Turin-style breadsticks. As for the clarified butter, we’re talking upwards of two pounds used during the preparation–out of this world.