Parmigiano Molto Pronto

Making a quick tomato sauce from canned tomatoes takes only minutes and can solve some last-minute dinner dilemmas. Here it tops an easy veal dish, which you can prepare while the sauce simmers.

There’ll be some sauce left over, so toss it with cooked pasta or top a sauteed chicken breast or cheese omelet for a fast dinner later in the week. The sauce recipe doubles easily, and it can be frozen for up to two months.

MENU

Veal Parmigiano

Steamed Asparagus

STAPLES

Bread crumbs

Butter

1 egg

Flour

Garlic

Olive oil

Onion

Crushed red pepper

Sugar

SHOPPING LIST

2 bunches asparagus

1 (8-ounce) package mozzarella

Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 (4-ounce) veal cutlets

COUNTDOWN

30 minutes before: Mince garlic, onion and thyme. Begin making tomato sauce.

20 minutes before: Measure flour, bread crumbs and cheese. Trim asparagus, slice mozzarella.

10 minutes before: Begin cooking veal. Steam asparagus.

Just before serving: Broil cutlets until cheese has melted.

Veal Parmigiano

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

QUICK TOMATO SAUCE

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Salt, pepper

Dash sugar, optional

Crushed red pepper, optional

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until they’re very fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce until the tomatoes have softened and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Taste the sauce and add the sugar if the sauce is slightly bitter. Add the crushed red pepper, if you want, for a little more punch. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

VEAL

3 tablespoons flour

Salt, pepper

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

6 (4-ounce) veal cutlets

1 1/2 cups Quick Tomato Sauce

1 (8-ounce) package fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 slices

Heat the broiler.

Place the flour in a shallow dish, season it with salt and pepper and set it aside. Beat the egg with the water in another shallow dish and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Combine the bread crumbs with the grated Parmigiano in another shallow dish; set aside.

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. While the oil and butter are heating, dredge the cutlets in the flour, then dip them in the egg and coat them with the bread crumbs. Add the cutlets to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes a side.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce over each cutlet, top them with the mozzarella slices, then broil the cutlets 4 inches from the heat source until the cheese has melted and starts to bubble, about 1 to 2 minutes.

6 servings. Each serving:

502 calories; 756 mg sodium; 189 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 45 grams protein; 1.63 grams fiber.