Applying what you've learned: lamb chops milanese

At some point you've seen them:  the massive, breadcrumb encrusted veal chops, served with a salad of arugula, chopped tomato, and balsamic vinegar.

Even if you've eaten lunch, Annalena bets your mouth just began to water.   It gets put in front of you, and it's HUGE.  You can't possibly eat it all.

And then you do.  It disappears because it tasted, well, so .... LIGHT.  And after all, there was salad with it too.   So the salad will cancel out the panna cotta for dessert.

You can stop blushing with guilt now. Annalena has been there.  She's been there far too often.  And she too, is a fan of those massive chops that require a whole plate.

How do they get them that big?  Well, ragazzi, one of the tricks to milanese (and no one seems to know why this technique is called milanese, or as one writer referred to it: Italy's answer to wienerschnitzel), is  - excuse the indelicate language here, bambini,   "beating your meat," until it's thin.  It's not a particularly easy thing to do, to be honest, because you are working with a chop, so there's a fulcrum of a bone, and you are trying to "pound the meat" until it's thin, without tearing it.   So you can't go at it as if you are a caveperson, but you have to proceed with delicate, smooth shots.  You take a heavy weight, bring it down on the chop, and push away.  And repeat.  And repeat again.  Until you have something no more than about a third of an inch thick.

With a veal chop, you will get something enormous.  So too with pork chops, especially double chops, which seem to be all the rage these days.  But lamb chops... Hmmmm.  Now, this sounded interesting.  And of course, when Annalena read the recipe, she changed it (of COURSE she did.).  But when you read of the changes, she thinks you'll agree, it's for the better.

This is instructions for feeding four, because by the time you're done, two of these little baby chops will be more than enough for you.  Trust  Annalena here.  Get eight rib lamb chops, preferably grass fed.  Annalena's original recipe called for double chops, which are two chops that remain attached.  The reasoning there, is that there is more meat, and you can pound the chop thinner.  Not necessary.  Annalena found it fairly easy to just pound the chops to thinnness, after they had sat in the fridge overnight, uncovered, and salted.

Next, you make two bowls for dipping .  In one, put two cups of plain, dried bread crumbs, and about half a cup of chopped fresh herbs.  Use herbs that "seem" right.  Just about everything is with lamb.  Parsley is good, so is thyme, so is sage, and ... so is rosemary.  As is tarragon.  And oregano.  Lavender? Not so much, although a little wouldn't hurt.    Break three eggs into a second bowl.

Take each individual chop, and dip it in bread crumbs, then egg, and then back in the bread crumbs.  You can do this with bread crumbs, but do NOT think that you can follow this technique for flour.  Once you coat something in egg, do NOT dip it back in flour.  You will have a mess, you will cry, curse, and probably call your loved ones filthy names.

The breaded chops can sit while you get ready for the next step.  This is the frying, and baking step. Annalena's original recipe called for 2.5 cups of oil.

HUH?    Well, the reason for that, was presentation.  The original recipe called for a dip of the bone of the chop into the oil, to darken it and crisp it.  If  you wish to, go ahead, but to Annalena's point of view, it is a waste of oil, and calories, for something that is really very good without the arguably beautful fried bone.    Heat the oil to about 350 and then fry the chops, four at a time, over medium heat, for two minutes a side.  When they're cooked, move them to paper towels, and repeat with your second batch.  Then put everything into a 375 oven for another 10 minutes, for medium rare, and 15, for medium, which is as far as you want to cook these.

If you wish to go  "whole hog" so to speak, chop up some arugula, and if you must (this not being tomato season), some cherry tomatoes, and toss them with balsamic vinegar and some garlic and salt.  Put it over the chops, and serve it forth.

Better, in Annalena's mind, to put out something like tomato jam, or a pepper jam, or something like that.  MUCH better.


Annalena is heading off for her annual vacation ragazzi, back to the city by the bay.  She may get one more recipe out to you before she leaves.  Does anyone want to know how to make carbonara, an easy way (which is a redundancy, because carbonara is about as easy as a pasta dish comes).