Sofrito Kerkyras (Σοφρίτο Κέρκυρας)

Sofrito Kerkyras is Corfu's veal, sliced thin and braised in a pale sauce of garlic, parsley, white wine, and vinegar. It is not a tomato stew, and it is not a pan sauce poured over meat at the end. The region is the dish's surname: Kerkyra gives sofrito its Venetian accent and its sharp white sauce.

The meat must be thin, browned lightly, then cooked low. That's the whole mercy of it. Veal cut from the round has little fat to protect it, so if the pan boils hard the slices tighten and turn dry before the sauce has done its work. Keep the pot at a quiet tremble and the flour on the meat melts into the wine and vinegar, making a sauce that clings without heaviness.

I like it with mashed potatoes, because they take the garlic and vinegar properly, but rice and fried potatoes are also honest Corfiot company. This is a dinner-party dish only because it tastes generous, not because it is difficult. I don't invent it. I find it, I test it, I write it down, and here the old method still behaves beautifully in a home kitchen.