Veal Parmesan (Italian-American)

For this Italian-American update on Sicily's eggplant parmesan, veal - once a cheap cut - was substituted for the purple vegetable. The tender meat is fried in crisp breadcrumbs; smothered with bright tomato sauce, provolone and Parmesan cheeses and dried herbs; and baked until the cheese is oozing and golden.

Tomato Sauce:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
½ small onion, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried thyme
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Veal and Assembly:
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
4 eggs, beaten
1½ cups breadcrumbs
8 (2 oz) veal cutlets, lbed ⅛" thick
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices provolone cheese
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Make the Sauce:
Heat oil in a 4 qt saucepan over medium. Cook bay leaf, garlic and onion until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven broiler.

Make the Veal:
Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes. Season veal with salt and pepper. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge veal in flour, then dip in eggs; coat in bread crumbs and transfer to a plate.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, and adding remaining oil as needed, cook veal, flipping once, until golden, 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. Spoon ⅓ cup reserved sauce over each cutlet; top with 1 slice provolone and sprinkle with 1½ Tbsp. Parmesan. Broil until cheese is golden and bubbly, 4-5 minutes. Garnish with parsley.