Gilding the lilly and celebrating Wednesday: stuffed veal chops

The careful reader will note that the Guyman and I seem to eat a lot of veal chops. It is true. In absolute terms, it's probably not a lot, but I would say we have them once a month. And in relative terms, that's a lot. Most people do not make them at home, and you very rarely see them on menus in restaurants. Veal chops are expensive: I think the least you can fairly see them for on a menu, is 38 dollars or so. They are big, meaty, delicious, but that kind of cost is not going to sit well with many people. And it probably shouldn't. When Annalena has eaten veal chops in restaurants, she has inevitably been disappointed. Either the fat/meat ratio has been skewed way too far in the favor of the fat, or the kitchen has decided that a veal chop is a steak and has cooked it that way. Quite wrong.

But we love them. So we eat them at home. In Annalena's mind, the way to cook a veal chop is to treat it almost like pork. And, indeed, this recipe could very easily be converted to one using thick pork chops. It works with chicken, and there is a recipe for such on this blog. But let's look at this special occasion meal (and you define "special occasion." I think most people interpret it too strictly).

You need good quality chops, which seems like a contradiction in terms, but make sure you're getting stuff that is more meat than bone and fat. Buy them from someone reputable. They will be probably at least a half inch, perhaps 3/4 inch thick, and that's how you want them. Any thicker and they will be difficult to cook properly. As with all proteins, Annalena suggests that you salt them the night before you cook them.

The day of, when the chops are coming to room temperature, preheat your oven to 350. While it preheats, prepare yourself a stuffing of fontina cheese (about an ounce per chop) and prosciutto (about half an ounce, or one slice, per chop. Incidentally, Annalena recommends that you look for La Quercia prosciutto, which is made here in the good old USA and is terrific). Cut the cheese into very small cubes, and cut the ham up nice and small. Mix it together.

Take each chop and find the thickest portion, away from the bone. With a small knife, cut a pocket into the center of the meat. Work carefully, but there is no need to slice it open like an envelope. Once you have an "in," you can even do this with your fingers. Get it deep enough so that you can force the filling in without it falling out of the side of the chop. Try to avoid needing to close them, with a toothpick or something like that.

When that's done, heat about two tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a pan, and when it's hot, drop in the chops, and let them sear for about four minutes to each side. Then move them to the oven, and let them cook at 350 for ten minutes. This should cook them through, to medium rare, and melt the cheese nicely.

When this comes out of the oven, move the chops to a plate, and pour off the fat. Off the heat, pour in about a quarter cup of dry marsala, or some other fortified wine. Heat it (keep your face away to avoid the potential of flaming alcohol) until it's reduced by about half, and put the chops in. Turn them in the sauce, and...

you are celebrating. Again, what you are celebrating is up to you. I thought we should celebrate Wednesday, and why not?