The reason I went all Italian on you was simply that I had seen this recipe in La Cucina Italiana
, one of my favorite magazines, the copy of which I had left out at the beach. It appeared nowhere on their excellent website, www.lacucinaitaliana.com/ Thank goodness for google.it.com, the Italian version of the search engine.
, one of my favorite magazines, the copy of which I had left out at the beach. It appeared nowhere on their excellent website, www.lacucinaitaliana.com/ Thank goodness for google.it.com, the Italian version of the search engine.The recipe that popped up was for “Costelette di vitello al sedano” which is the famous Milanese veal chop. The “Maiale” or Pork Chop makes this dish far less expensive and every bit as delicious.
In the interest of of full disclosure, this post was previously published here in the very early days of Chewing the Fat. However, due to my breathtakingly narrow understanding of the tech part of this operation, at some point, I managed to ‘de-list’ it. As I am in the midst of big marketing project, I can certainly use all the posts I can get. So forgive me.
What’s great about this dish for right now that the chop sits atop a beautiful salad of arugula, tomato and, my addition here, some sautéed Yukon gold potatoes. It’s very simple to make, takes no time at all and I encourage you to try it even in the depths of winter. Grape tomatoes are excellent here.
I find the baby arugula in the plastic ‘clamshells’ is very good year ‘round and they keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, a good thing because you will not need the whole package for this dish. The recipe is for two but it is a snap to double or triple: You just up the tomato and potato count by one for every chop you cook. Here it is:
Recipe for Costelette di Maiale al sedano Or Pork Chops Milanese with celery salt
2 meaty, center cut pork chops 1-1 ½ inches thick.
1 large ripe tomato or 2 medium sized tomatoes cut in ¾ inch dice.
1 5oz. package of baby arugula
2 Yukon Gold potatoes cut into ¾ inch dice
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs*
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp celery salt
6 tbsp butter, divided into two tbsp. and four tbsp.
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
*You can use any dried breadcrumbs for this recipe. I prefer Panko.
1 large ripe tomato or 2 medium sized tomatoes cut in ¾ inch dice.
1 5oz. package of baby arugula
2 Yukon Gold potatoes cut into ¾ inch dice
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs*
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp celery salt
6 tbsp butter, divided into two tbsp. and four tbsp.
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
*You can use any dried breadcrumbs for this recipe. I prefer Panko.
- Cover the chops with heavy plastic wrap to avoid splatters. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, gently pound the meat to a thickness of about ½ inch leaving the bone intact. If you don’t own a meat mallet, you can use a small, heavy saucepan or a heavy rolling pin.
- Mix the garlic and onion powders, the oregano and celery salt into the panko crumbs and put the mixture on a dinner plate.
- Soak the flattened chops in the egg mixture one at a time.
- Coat both sides of the chops with the breadcrumb mixture. Put the coated chops on a plate, separating each chop with a layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Put the diced tomatoes in a bowl and toss them with the balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Put enough arugula to cover the bottom of each dinner plate in a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a frying pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat and add the potatoes, turning them over as they cook for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
- Ten minutes after you have started the potatoes, in another large non-stick frying pan, melt the 4 tbsp of butter. Add the pork chops two at a time and cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn them over and cook the other side. (If cooking more than two, do them in batches and keep warm in the oven until all the chops are cooked.)
- Put a bed of arugula on each plate. Top with the tomatoes and potatoes and place the finished pork chop on top. Serve at once.
Might not get great, fresh tomatoes this late, but Sarah and I can't wait to try this one. Looks sooooo delicious.
You can use those tomatoes on the vine and I bet you will be pleased with the results. I saw some heirloom tomatoes at Fairway yesterday and they still looked excellent. Sure makes you long for Union Square…
Monte you never made those chop for me, boy they look good. I'm trying them this weekend.