This is a dish from the very first Giada book I ever bought, Giada’s Family Dinners. I’ve made it many times, it’s fast and feels fancy even though it’s incredibly simple to make. For some reason I haven’t made it for ages, so last night we had this for dinner.

The problem was, saffron is kind of a key ingredient. When I dug through my spices I found that I was actually out of saffron. This never happens, and by the time I realized it the pasta was cooking and the veal was resting. So major improvisation here: I used a tablespoon of pink peppercorns (which I’ve used in another great cream sauce for steaks) and a teaspoon of thyme instead of the saffron. Everything else was exactly the same as the recipe…well, I don’t put mushrooms in since neither of us are fans.  The dish was still delicious, but much more peppery than the original. Now I’ll have to think hard about which version to make next time.

I served it with some buttery spaghetti with chives and pepper. Delicious, and exactly the kind of protein I need to keep pumping into Adam while he’s getting over the worst bug he’s had since I’ve known him.

I’m posting the original recipe.

Veal Scaloppine with Saffron Cream Sauce

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