IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Ciao! Italia

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This week we went in the kitchen at Ciao! Italia with owner and chef Carmine Astuto as he prepares his signature veal Elizabeth, a dish named for his daughter on the day she was born. 

Astuto's family moved from Sciliy to Brooklyn when he was only five years old, and he opened his first deli on Staten Island at the age of nineteen. About six years later, Astuto moved to Longboat Key and opened Ciao! Italia.

Ciao! offers a traditional menu of Italian cuisine including spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmeasan, tortellini carbonara and a variety of pizzas. Tucked away in the Centre Shops of Longboat Key, the intimate restaurant has a large crowd of regulars who frequent Ciao! during their winter residencies on the island.

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Scroll down for an instructional video on how to prepare the dish.

Veal Elizabeth

Ingredients:
3-4 veal cutlets
Flour
Olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roasted
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
3 ounces roasted red peppers
3 ounces sundried tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces white wine
Cooked pasta (al dente)
 

Preparation:
Heat oil in pan on stove. Dredge veal cutlets in flour. Add cutlets to pan. Add whole roasted garlic cloves, minced garlic, shallots, red peppers and sundried tomatoes to pan and saute for 3 minutes until veal cutlets are golden brown on one side. Flip cutlets to cook other side. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Swirl pan to keep ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Add cream and let reduce for about 1 minute. Finally, add pasta to pan and toss all ingredients. Plate veal and pasta together to serve. Enjoy!