ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In this installment of the Chef’s Kitchen, we take you to Frankie’s Italian Chophouse in St. Petersburg.

Chef and owner Frank Schittino has been in the restaurant business for more than four decades.

He cooks hot, fast, and sure.

His veal Marsala recipe calls for a demi-glace or beef stock.

Their demi-glace takes two days to make and calls for roasting bones for hours. Chef offers chicken as a substitute protein.

Marsala recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shallot, diced
1 veal chop pounded to 1/3 inch thick (protein substitute chicken)
1 cup mushrooms
4 oz Marsala wine
4 oz veal demi-glace or beef stock
Flour to dredge veal
2 tablespoons butter for sauce
Clarified butter to sear protein
Pasta, chef choice

Method:
Clean and pound protein. (Restaurant practice: tenderize in between two folded pieces of plastic wrap.)
Dredge through flour.
Sear on high heat in clarified butter, a few minutes on each side.
Pull veal aside, and using the same pan, add shallots.
Once they start sweating, add mushrooms.
Sauté until mushrooms are cooked.
Deglaze with Marsala wine.
Add demi-glace (or stock).
Put veal back in, and simmer till cooked. (Chef finishes his chop off in an oven.)
Remove veal and add cooked pasta and butter.
Stir butter into dish.
Pour sauce over pasta and protein.
Enjoy.