Thursday, November 18, 2010

Costolette di Vitello Paillard Valdostana





Paillard Valdostana is one of the finest Italian veal recipes.  The flavor is outstanding!  The translation of this recipe title is easy.  Veal Chop - Pounded Flat - Cooked in the style of Valdosta, Italy.  Valdosta Italy is a land of hills and castles.  This veal chop recipe is fit for royalty!
      I learned this recipe many years ago, while working in a great Regional Northern Italian restaurant.  This recipe is a very high priced item on a restaurant menu.  The cost of cooking this veal chop recipe at home may be well over $25 per serving.  At a price like that, no mistakes can be made.  Shaved Piedmont White Truffles are the correct mushroom for this recipe.  If none are available in your area, then use porcini mushrooms.  Porcini are more than just acceptable for this recipe.  On our restaurant menu, we stated porcini with this recipe and we had nothing but compliments!
     Recipe:  Trim a veal chop of any excess outer fat. 
     French the bone bare so it is free of rib meat and fat but so it is still attached to the veal chop loin meat.
     Gently pound the meat with a bottle or smooth faced mallet till it is thin and evenly thick.
     Lay paper thin slices of imported certified Italian Parma Prosciutto on only one side of the meat.  (Don't use cheap American prosciutto for this recipe!) 
     Very gently pound the prosciutto onto the veal meat with the flat side of a mallet, till it is firmly attached.
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat. 
     Add a splash of olive oil.  
     Carefully lay the chop in the pan with the prosciutto side down and saute for one minute and gently shake the pan to prevent sticking. 
     Carefully flip the chop over without loosening the prosciutto. 
     Add a little bit of sliced shallot.
     Add a chopped garlic clove.
     Saute the garlic till it becomes golden colored. 
     Add a handful of sliced porcini mushrooms to the pan.  (Reconstituted dried porcini are fine for this recipe.)
     Lightly saute the mushrooms. 
     Add a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice. 
     Add a small splash of dry red wine. 
     Add about a cup of rich beef and veal bone stock.  The stock should almost be half way up the sides of the meat but not covering the meat. 
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 3 to 4 fresh sage leaves.
     Press a piece of parchment paper onto the prosciutto on the veal meat to prevent drying or burning in the oven. 
     Place the pan in a 450 degree oven. 
     Let the veal chop roast in the oven, till the bone becomes a lightly caramelized brown color.  (About 10 minutes.) 
     Set the pan back on a burner set at medium high heat. 
     Remove the protective parchment paper. 
     Reduce the sauce with the veal chop in the pan. 
     Sprinkle a very small amount of grated Fontina cheese on the prosciutto on top of the veal chop.  (Don't over do it with the cheese!  This is not some kind of cheap American veal parmigiana recipe.  Fontina cheese is very strong, so just use it like a seasoning in this recipe.)
     Assembly:  Set some zucchini squash and tomato ragout on a plate. 
     Set some al dente cooked Mafaldine Pasta (Thin ruffled edge ribbon pasta) on the plate. 
     Set the veal chop on the plate so the bone is leaning and cantered on the pile of zucchini tomato vegetable medley.  The prosciutto side of the veal chop should be facing up.
     Remove the cooked sage leaves from the pan and discard. 
     Reduce the sauce till it is a thin glace sauce consistency. 
     Place the porcini mushroom slices across the veal.  (If white truffles are used, then just shave the truffle over the veal.) 
     Pour the sauce over and around the veal and drizzle some of the sauce on the mafaldine pasta. 
     Sprinkle a tiny amount of grated Fontina Cheese on the pasta. 
     Garnish the veal with a sage sprig and garnish the plate with Italian flat parsley sprigs.
     Recipe Tips:  Cook the pasta ahead of time and reheat it in hot water.  Make the zucchini and tomato ragout ahead of time and keep it warm.
     Zucchini and Tomato Ragout Recipe:  Heat a little bit of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. 
     Add 1 clove of chopped garlic. 
     When the garlic turns a golden color, add a little bit of chopped onion.
     Add a handful of thick bite size zucchini pieces.
     Add a small handful of bite size green bell pepper pieces.
     Add a peeled chopped fresh plum tomato.
     Add sliced a green onion center section. 
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add a pinch of oregano. 
     Add a splash of vegetable stock. 
     Simmer the ragout over low heat till nearly all of the liquid has evaporated. 
     Keep the ragout warm.
     This Paillard Valdostana entree is exceptionally great!  The romantic flavors are unforgettable.  The savory deep porcini flavor, sage and prosciutto are the main flavors complimenting the tender veal chop.  The richness of a home made veal and beef stock is proudly noticeable in this recipe.  The light amount of Fontina cheese flavor is noticeable.  Light accompaniments like vegetables and a small amount of pasta are nice.  Mafaldine shaped pasta is a very pretty pasta.
     You can serve this recipe with risi or a risotto instead of pasta if you wish.  I would reserve the heavier risotto for a winter preparation of this recipe.  Paillard actually means to pound flat for quick and even cooking.  This recipe only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cook, so have all the ingredients and accompaniments ready before the cooking starts.  Paillard Valdostana is a very special entree for a very special occasion.  Superb cucina di Italia!  Ciao Baby!  ...  Shawna

0 komentar:

Post a Comment