Thyme and polenta breaded beef escalopes
Meat mains
Thyme and polenta breaded beef escalopes
Escalopes are a quick and simple dinner to make. This version uses beef escalopes wrapped in a thyme and polenta crust, flash-fried for a speedy dinner. Use polenta with a rice or gluten-free flour to coat for a gluten-free option, but semi-dried breadcrumbs work just as well. Serve with seasonal veg and mashed potato or a vegetable risotto made with odds and ends from your veg box.
Cook's notes
You can use pork or rose veal for this dish, or make a chicken version stretching two chicken breasts to serve four by slicing across to make 4 thinner pieces, beaten out between sheets of clingfilm using a meat mallet or rolling pin. If using poultry or pork, make sure the escalopes are fully cooked through; you can whack them in the oven for 5 mins or so once they're fried and golden just to make sure.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg, 2 if small
- 4 tbsp plain or rice flour
- 100g polenta
- 50g parmesan, grated
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or 2 tsp dried
- 4 beef escalopes
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put the flour onto a plate and mix with a little salt and pepper. Crack the egg(s) into a shallow bowl and beat white and yolk together. In a separate shallow bowl, mix the polenta, parmesan and thyme leaves.
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Step 2
Coat the escalopes first in the flour, then the egg, then the polenta mixture to coat them.
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Step 3
Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan. Add the coated escalopes and fry them on a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden and crisp.
