Back to the Bunny Trail: Rabbit Milanese

Annalena believes she has commented on this before, but isn't really sure, so she'll say it again.
There are certain names that show up in cooking, that is, names of dishes, that "signify" certain things. If an item is described as "Florentine," for example, there will be spinach in the dish. If you see "Veronique," which you almost never do these days, it means there will be white grapes, probably peeled. (DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME. YOU WILL CURSE, HURT YOURSELF AND NEVER EAT A GRAPE AGAIN. By the way, there is no reason to peel white grapes). There are others, but those are the ones that come to mind, besides "ala mode," but that's not a geographical term.

We turn to "Milanese." If a dish is described as Milanese, it means it's going to be breaded, fried, and served with a warm salad of tomatoes and arugula. That is classic Milanese.

What does it have to do with Milan? You think I know? Why is spinach "Florentine," or white grapes "Veronique?" And who's "Veronique," or is Verona? Again, you think I know?

The only thing that I can imagine links "milanese" with Milan is that there is butter in the preparation. Annalena sometimes forgets that Milan is considered NORTHERN Italy, above the so-called "olive oil" belt. But.. it's close enough so that there is also olive oil in this dish.

I didn't say it was dietetic.

The classic form of "Milanese" is with a veal chop: HUGE, flat, covering the pan. There was a restaurant in Annalena's neighborhood when she moved here, that did mediocre to ok food, except for the Milanese veal chop. I ordered it every time. In fact, one time when I was sitting there and ordered it, and they told me they were out of it for the night, I left. The Guyman was somewhat shocked, but he rolled with it.

Lately, I have seen many other milanese preparations. Pork. Turkey. Chicken. They all seem to be white type meats, don't they? And that's where tonight's recipe came from. I had some boneless rabbit loin in the refrigerator, and I spent the better part of the day wondering "what am I going to do with them?"

Well, in the process by which Annalena comes up with her meals (be frightened. Be VERY frightened), I was reminded that we are in PEAK tomato season. Annalena cannot come home from a market without tomatoes that taste of the sun. So, tomatoes were in the picture. And the connections just happened: why not? It should be good.

And it was. So here we go.

You need a pound of boneless rabbit. If by some chance you have a very talented butcher who will do rabbit double chops for you, by all means, use them. Rabbits have a very fine bone structure though, and removing them is not a task for the impatient, or those without premedical training (I have done it. Once. NEver again). You will also need two large eggs, a quantity of seasoned bread crumbs, and then two tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Also, two cups of cherry tomatoes, mixed colors and sizes if you can, and about four cups of arugula. There's no reason to use the baby arugula here, and in fact, the more mature variety is better.

If you can, as always, salt the rabbit the night before, or the morning of. When you're ready to cook, beat two eggs in a plate and put the bread crumbs on a second one. Dip each piece of rabbit into the egg, and then the crumbs, to coat them completely. As you work, move each one to a tray. I had six "cutlets" of rabbit in my pound.

When they're all coated, heated the butter and oil until the butter melts, but don't wait for it to start bubbling. Add as many cutlets as will fit the pan, and cook them gently: a medium heat at best. Check them frequently. You want a light golden color (or maybe you don't. I've had Milanese dark and light. They're both good). When you have the color you want, flip them and do the other side.

You may have to replenish the fat during the cooking process . If you do, stick to olive oil. The hot pan will burn any added butter right away. When you're done, keep the meat warm by either stashing it into a low oven, or cover it.

Raise the heat of the pan, and add the cherry tomatoes. Don't cut them, you don't need to. Cover the pan, and let them cook for a few minutes, say 3-4. They will begin to collapse, and split. While that's happening, cut off the tough stems of the arugula and when the tomatoes have collapsed, add the greens, and cook them for another minute or so.

Now, the kicker: add some balsamic vinegar to the hot vegetables. Keep your face out of the way so you don't get burned, and stir the veggies together.

Plate the rabbit, and spoon out some of the vegetables on each portion. And there you go.

Will it make you think of Milan? Who knows? Is it Milanese? I don't know that either. This is what I do know: it's good. REAL good.