I don’t like regular chocolate ice cream but paired...
Veal Chops with an Herbed Pan Sauce
This dish had everything going for it–its quick to prepare, delicious, and to seal the deal: its veal! Some times, the simplest approaches are the best kind, and for this, I decided to stick to one pan so as to have really flavorful meat and to use those juices for an even more flavorful pan sauce. So today: Veal Chops with an Herbed Pan Sauce.
While the dish has a somewhat rustic appearance, the taste is stunning. The veal had a great, buttery crust on it while the meat inside was melt-in-your-mouth tender with that delightful, harmoniously neutral veal flavor. The sauce was simple, but surprisingly rich and hearty, being earthy, herbaceous, and slightly sweet. This was also given body from the gelatin released in cooking the veal and enriched with butter to add that little touch that puts it over the top.
The only thing that didn’t live up to my expectations: the cheese I stuffed into the chop. It didn’t take away from the dish, but it didn’t add anything either, so next time around, I wouldn’t waste my time with it. For completeness though, I’ve included it in the instructions below.
- 2 veal chops (~1.1 lbs)
- 2 garlic cloves
- thyme
- oregano
- basil
- rosemary
- olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- salt
- pepper
- ~1/4 cup of tomato sauce
- 1/4-1/2 cup red wine
- fontina/pecornio romano
Season the veal chops with salt and pepper. If stuffing the chops, make a slit on the outside of the meat, stabbing your knife deep into the meat and rocking it back and forth to make a cavity without making a large opening. Once you’re happy with the size of the cavity you’ve made, stuff it with cheese until you can’t fit any more in there.
In a hot pan, warm up some olive oil and melt a good sized knob of butter. Then, add the veal chops and brown on all sides for about 2-3 minutes each. Remove them from heat and set aside.
Now with the oil and butter still hot in the pan, add the garlic and sauté for about a minute. Deglaze with red wine, and after a minute or two, throw in the herbs.
Add a good scoop of tomato sauce and give things a stir. Put the veal chops back in the pan, drop the heat below medium, and cover the pan.
Continue to simmer this for about 15 minutes, turning the chops once and basting with the sauce every few minutes. During the last minute or two of cooking, enrich the sauce with a knob of butter, stirring until incorporated.
Finally, the veal and the sauce are done, so go ahead and plate one chop per person. I served this with a side of linguine and a simple tomato sauce (using san marzanos), garnished with some toasted pine nuts and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. Enjoy!
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July 27th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Absolutely gorgeous, Mike. You know just how to get my mouth watering.
July 27th, 2008 at 8:24 am
My father was not a cook, but like many men of his time, he was a griller. I don’t know what he did to veal chops, but his chops cooked on the grill were always a revelation, and because my taste memory is so strong, I’ve never been able to cook them any other way. Of course whenever I do grill them, I think they are just shy of my dad’s, but perhaps that’s my imagination!
July 27th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Oooh! I’m drooling over those chops! They look to die for! My mom makes something similar with tomato sauce and calls it Pizzaiola. Delicious!
I only hope that you didn’t have to pay as much for those veal chops as I did for mine!
July 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
These look INCREDIBLE…I love food like this..true comfort.
July 27th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
A veal chop is a real treat ($$$) and you did it justice with that sauce to round it out.
July 27th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
mmm -mmm - mmmm - this really has everything a girl desires Mike! Oh my that looks so good! I like rustic!
July 27th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Those chops look delish! I love all those herbs.
July 27th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Wow, these look amazing. I love the rustic look.
July 28th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Mmm… I’m liking the sound and look of that…
July 28th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Beautiful! From the perfectly browned chops, to the lovely fresh herbs, to the fabulous finished sauce!
July 28th, 2008 at 10:37 am
if you remember my previous comments, you know what i’m gonna say. i have an issue with eating baby animals. hey–more for you. i have to say, though, it still looks pretty darn tasty.
July 28th, 2008 at 10:42 am
The fragrance is wafting virtually over to me now:D
July 29th, 2008 at 10:35 am
funny - I’m cooking veal tomorrow! Already have recipe worked out tho - so this one will have to wait for another time.
Looks great!
July 29th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Looks delicious! Hearty and summery at the same time. And I love how you’re always honest about what didn’t work as much as you are what did.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Mike, this brings me right back home to my mom’s Italian kitchen. I swear I can smell all of those aromatic herbs from here. This is beautiful!
July 30th, 2008 at 12:18 am
I don’t think I’ve ever had a veal chop! Does that make me a bad person. This dinner looks killer! I still don’t think I’ll be cooking veal anytime soon, but this does get me thinking!
July 30th, 2008 at 12:29 am
how beautiful! this looks just like something my italian grandma would make… and that’s a big compliment!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I love veal ohh..how do I love veal. From the glorious shank to the wonderful shoulder.
Looks awesome and most importantly simple >*.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Cool Site Mike, VEAL is one of my favorite meats, its rare to find them in the supermarket though. I might try applying your recipe to low costing pork chops!
July 30th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Those veal chops look so good all covered in that sauce.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
We don’t find veal often at the supermarket around here. It has a delicate taste that beef does not have. Your dish looks so yummy.
December 29th, 2008 at 1:01 am
[...] The idea behind this dish was kind of a mix of two meals I’d made before: procedurally, the style of cooking was like another veal chop I had made while the sauce was inspired by a creamy mustard pasta which was a big hit. I love cooking chops [...]