Stuffed Veal Chops Lidia Bastianich Recipes

VEAL CHOPS STUFFED WITH FONTINA, PANCETTA, AND PORCINIS AND SERVED WITH BRAISED PEAS AND CARROTS

Steps:

• For the veal: Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan until almost smoking. Sear the chops on both sides until golden brown. Place them in the oven and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes for medium doneness. Remove the chops to a plate.
• Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan and place over high heat on the stove. Add the shallot and cook until soft. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Add the fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the chops on a plate and pour the sauce over.
• For the peas and carrots: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and garlic and cook until the carrots are slightly softened. Add the stock and thyme, cover the pan and bring to a simmer. Place the carrots in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, add peas during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Slice a slit horizontally in the side of each chop. Place 2 slices of fontina, 1 slice of pancetta and a quarter of the mushrooms in each opening. Season each chop on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch thick slices. Heat the oil in a large saute pan until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and thyme and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

STUFFED VEAL CHOPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together until well combined. Set aside.
• Have grill preheated over high heat and oven preheated to 350 degrees F.
• Slit each veal chop on its side to create a pocket. Stuff each chop with filling. Use toothpicks to keep closed. Season chops with salt and pepper and brush with oil on both sides.
• Place chops on smoking hot grill and mark for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and place in a baking dish. Finish cooking in oven for 4 to 6 minutes.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop the stems fine.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the red peppers and chopped mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and cool.
• Toss the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the sauéed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of each mushroom with the filling, pressing it in with a teaspoon until even with the sides of the mushrooms.
• Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease a 12 x 18-inch low-sided baking pan. Arrange the mushrooms side by side in the pan and, using the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, dot the top of each mushroom with about 1/4 teaspoon butter. Add the stock, wine, if using, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley to the pan. If you like, drizzle the tops of the mushrooms with the oil. Bake until the mushrooms are cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the mushrooms on a warmed platter or divide them among warmed plates. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the mushrooms, and serve immediately.

STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrot, celery, and onion; cook and stir until the carrot begins to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, and stir in the garlic and parsley; set aside.
• Beat the eggs and water with salt and pepper in a large bowl. Fold in the bread cubes until they absorb the egg mixture, then fold in the cooked vegetables; set aside. Cut a deep pocket into the veal breast with a long, narrow knife. Stuff the veal with the bread and vegetable mixture, and season with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place onto a roasting pan, and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 1/2 hours, then remove the foil, baste with pan drippings, and continue cooking 30 minutes more. When done, tent with aluminum foil, and allow the veal breast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

VEAL CHOPS WITH FONTINA

Steps:

• Arrange an oven rack to accommodate the covered saucepan, and heat the oven to 400°.
• Trim the chops, leaving only a thin layer of fat. With a sharp, thin knife, slice horizontally into the outer edge of each chop, splitting the meaty portion in two almost all the way to the bone, forming a pocket for stuffing. With the mallet, pound and spread the meaty part, flattening it to 1/2-inch thickness. Lift the top flap of the meat you just sliced apart, hold it up, and pound the bottom flap of meat a few more times, spreading it thinner and wider than the upper flap. When all the chops are sliced and pounded, salt them on both sides, using a teaspoon in all.
• Toss together the shredded fontina and the grana (grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano), and divide the cheeses into six equal portions. One at a time, lightly compress the cheese portions into oval patties, and slip them into the sliced chop pockets. Fold the larger bottom meat flap over the top flap-enclosing the cheese-and thread a toothpick through both flaps to keep them together. (The chops can be prepared up to this point a day in advance, sealed in plastic wrap, and refrigerated.)
• Put 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in the big pan, and set over medium-high heat. Spread the flour on a plate, dredge each chop on both sides, shake off excess flour, and lay it in the pan. When all the chops are in the pan, drop the sage leaves in between them. Cook the chops for 5 minutes or more, turning them once or twice, until well browned on both sides.
• Clear a space in the pan bottom, drop in the tomato paste, and toast it in the hot spot for a minute. Pour the wine over the tomato paste, stir them together, and shake the pan to distribute the liquid. Bring it to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes or so, to reduce.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and whisk it into the pan liquid. Turn the chops over, pour in the chicken stock, sprinkle on the remaining salt, and bring to a boil.
• Cover the pan, and place in the oven. Roast for about 15 minutes, then remove the cover and roast another 10 minutes or so, until the chops are done and the sauce has thickened.
• Remove from the oven, and place the chops on a warm platter. (Drape a towel over the handle of the pan when it comes out of the oven to remind you it is very hot.) If the sauce is thin, put the pan over high heat and reduce until the sauce has the consistency you like.
• Serve right away-while the cheese is still oozing-arranging all the chops on a warm platter and spooning the sauce over, family-style, or on warm dinner plates with mashed potatoes alongside and sauce drizzled over. (If you do have fresh white truffle, shave it on the top of each chop at this moment.)

VEAL CHOPS STUFFED WITH TALEGGIO AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Cook the broccoli florets in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain the broccoli and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain thoroughly.
• Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill fitted with the fine disc, or blend them in a food processor or blender, using quick on/off pulses, just until smooth. (Overblending the tomatoes will incorporate air into them and turn them pink.)
• Make 4 more or less even stacks with the cheese slices and cover each with a folded slice of prosciutto. Lay the broccoli florets along one edge of each stack, dividing the florets evenly. Roll the cheese and prosciutto around the broccoli into neat and compact rolls. Set the rolls aside.
• Lay a veal chop flat on a cutting board. Following the illustrations on pages 222-3, make a horizontal cut through the meat all the way to the bone and open the chop up, butterflying it. With the smooth side of a meat mallet, gently pound each side until the veal is about 3/8 inch thick. Place a cheese roll over one side of the butterflied veal chop, close to the bone. Fold the other side of the chop over the filling to completely enclose the filling. Pound around the edges of the stuffed chop with the toothed side of the meat mallet to seal in the stuffing. For an extra measure of security, you may fasten the edges of the stuffed chop with a toothpick. Press the stuffed chops gently, to flatten them slightly. Repeat with the remaining chops and cheese rolls. Season the stuffed chops with salt and pepper, then dredge them in flour to coat all sides lightly.
• Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until the butter is light brown. Add the chops to the pan and cook until the underside is golden, about 4 minutes. (If your skillet isn't large enough to accommodate all four chops, divide the chops and sauce ingredients between two skillets.) Turn the chops, scatter the sage leaves around them and cook until the second side is golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan and drain the fat, reserving the sage leaves.
• Return the chops to the pan, pour in the wine and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat so the sauce is simmering and cook, covered, until no trace of pink remains near the bone and the sauce is syrupy, about 12 minutes.Turn the chops and baste them with the sauce several times as they simmer.
• The chops can also be finished in the oven: Preheat oven to 375° F. After adding stock to the pan, set the uncovered pan in a hot oven and bake, basting periodically for 15 minutes. Transfer the chops to warm plates and spoon some of the sauce over each. For a clearer sauce, strain it as you spoon it over the chops.
• Snap off the tough ends of four thin asparagus spears. Peel the stalk up to the tips and cut them into 1-inch lengths, leaving the tips intact. Cook the asparagus pieces in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the asparagus and plunge it into a bowl of cold water. Let stand until chilled. Drain the asparagus thoroughly. Prepare the veal chops as described above, substituting Fontina for the Taleggio and the cooked asparagus for the broccoli.