Pan Roasted Veal Chops with Shiitake Pan Gravy
A cast iron skillet allows you to go from stovetop to sear the chops, then to the oven to finish them.
This is an update to a recipe first posted in 2009 after buying some veal rib chops and then not being entirely sure what to do with them. I also had some fresh shiitake mushrooms and had a vague notion of grilling them but as I recall, the weather turned bad and I wasn't going to be able to put the chops on the grill that evening.
So, after rummaging through my pantry and throwing some things together, I made up this whole recipe as I went along. That is possibly one of the finest feelings in the culinary arts, not knowing exactly where one's inspiration is coming from but simply going with the flow. When it works and the dish comes out with quality like this, it's a wonderful thing.
Pan Roasted Veal Chops with Shiitake Pan Gravy
Yield: 2 Meatballs
A cast iron skillet allows you to go from stovetop to sear the chops, then to the oven to finish them.
Ingredients
For the Herb Rub
- 2 tbsp dry rubbed sage
- 2 tbsp lemon pepper (like, Mrs. Dash)
- 2 tbsp dried oregano leaves
- 2 tbsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp salt smoked salt (like, San Francisco Salt Company Alder Wood)
For the Veal Chops & Shiitake Pan Gravy
- 2 1-1/2 inch thick veal rib chops
- 1 large shallot, finely minced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 12 large shiitake mushrooms
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup beef stock (like, Kitchen Basics or Swanson's)
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1/2 cup ruby port wine
- 2 tbsp beef bouillon concentrate (like, Better Than Bouillon)
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour dissolved in 3 oz warm tap water (a slurry)
Instructions
- Take the rib chops out of the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking.
- Mix all the herb rub ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a whisk until evenly incorporated. Spread out the herb mixture evenly onto a paper plate.
- Take a small amount of olive oil and rub it into each side of both chops; then press each chop into the herbs so that they are evenly coated on all sides. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the remaining herb rub.
- Let the chops rest for 10-15 minutes before cooking to let the seasonings soak into the meat. Do not set the chops on top of one another.
- Pull the stems out of the shiitake mushrooms and discard them. Clean and slice each mushroom cap into thin strips.
- Heat half the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat, then toss in the shallots. Sauté for a 2 minutes until they become limp and begin to pick up a little color.
- Toss in the mushrooms. Sauté them for about 10 minutes,
- Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the butter to the saucepan and when melted, sprinkle the two tablespoons of reserved herb rub in the pan and stir to combine.
- Reserve a quarter cup of the red wine and set aside. Mix the rest of the red wine, the port, sherry, beef stock and the beef bouillon concentrate in the saucepan with the mushroom mixture; bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce by half. Then, lower the heat and keep the sauce on a slow simmer while you cook the chops.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
- Heat a cast iron skillet with the remaining olive oil on medium high heat until shimmering, then sear the chops 2 minutes on each side. Put the skillet in the pre-heated oven and continue cooking them for 10 minutes.
- Remove the chops from the oven, take them out of the cast iron skillet and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes while you finish the pan gravy.
- De-glaze the skillet with the reserved 1/4 cup of red wine, scraping up all of the roasted brown bits and add this to the saucepan with the gravy.
- Bring the gravy back to a boil, and add the lemon juice and the balsamic vinegar.
- While the sauce is simmering, add a little bit of the slurry at a time until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Allow the gravy to simmer for at least 1 minute after you introduce the slurry to cook out the raw taste of the flour.
- Spoon the sauce and plenty of the mushrooms over the chops before serving with boiled new potatoes or creamy mashed potatoes.
Notes
- If you are making Swedish Meatballs as an hors d'ouvres for a cocktail buffet (to be kept warm in a chafing dish), make your meatballs slightly smaller for a single bite.
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