La Lama Mountain Ovens
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The best of the recipes, techniques, and methods practiced by our large extended Italian-American family - with emphasis on the legacy handed down to us by the original immigrants.

This is a cookbook-in-process project. If you try any of these recipes please let us know how they turn out, whether or not you had any difficulties, and any clarifying improvements you might recommend to make them foolproof. We will of course acknowledge genuine "test-kitchen" assistance.

Family Secrets #42

Stuffed Veal Chops
with Brandied Pan Sauce

By Ray Zara, La Lama Mountain Ovens

Veal is a very mild tasting meat much prized for its texture and tenderness and lends itself well to layering of flavors. We are going to add another dimension to the basic veal chop, by stuffing them with Gorgonzola cheese and serving a brandied pan sauce as an accompaniment.

The preferred veal chop is a rib cut. The chops should be cut 1 3/4 inches thick and you can serve one chop per serving. You can identify a rib cut because the bone will be to one side of the chop. A center cut chop will also work if the rib cuts are not available. If you cannot find genuine Gorgonzola cheese, you may substitute another high quality blue cheese such as a Maytag blue, or a Danish blue.

The chops are going to be marinated before stuffing them. You may do this the night before service or 3 to 4 hours ahead of time on the day you want to cook them. To marinate the chops, place them in a casserole or other non reactive container, and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over them. Salt and pepper them, and add a generous amount of chopped fresh sage and finely minced garlic. Make sure the chops are coated on both sides and occasionally turn them in the marinade.

The actual stuffing of the chops is a bit on the messy side, but very simple. Place each chop on your cutting board and make a cut starting at the outer edge of the chop and continue through to the bone. Try to make the cut as near the center of the thickness of the chop as possible. You will now have a flap that you can lift. Place a generous tablespoon of Gorgonzola cheese in the pocket you cut and press it firmly in place. The cheese should cover the area from the bone to about 1/8 inch of the flap. Return the flap to its original position and seal the cut edges with a skewer or toothpicks and return the stuffed chops to the marinade.

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Stuffed Veal Chops with Brandied Pan Sauce

Total ingredients to serve two:

• 2 veal chops
• 2 Tblsp Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tblsp chopped fresh sage
• 2 tsps minced fresh garlic

• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup brown stock
• 1/8 cup brandy
• 1 Tblsp butter

Place a heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium high heat. Pour all of the marinade into the hot pan, scraping in the herbs and seasonings. Add olive oil if you need more fat to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the chops on each side for about 2 minutes. Remove the chops and place on sheet tray and place in pre-heated hot oven, (400 degrees). Finish the chops in the oven for 10 minutes or until they test medium rare. To test for doneness, push on the meat with your finger. If it feels mushy it is not yet done (too rare). The meat should feel slightly springy and not too firm. If unsure about using this method, make a small slit near the bone and look at the color. The meat should still be slightly pink in the center.

Step Two: Prepare Brandied Pan Sauce

De-glaze the hot pan with 1/8 cup brandy. The brandy will immediately flame up so make sure you tilt the pan away from you. Slowly add 3/4 cup brown stock. Use a spatula to loosen all cooking residue from pan. Bring to a boil and reduce by 1/3. Add a tablespoon of butter and continue reducing. Stir constantly. The pan sauce is finished when it is slightly thickened. This will only take a few minutes.

You will need to "fine" the sauce as you serve it. You can use a small tea strainer to accomplish the fining. To serve, pour a small puddle of sauce through your strainer onto the dinner plate. Place a chop in the puddle and drizzle a little more sauce over the chop. This is an intensely flavored sauce and so you will only need a small amount per serving.

Angel hair aglio olio (olive oil, garlic sauce) makes a nice accompaniment along with either steamed asparagus tips or Brussels sprouts depending on the season.

Altitude Adjustment: None.