Sometimes a great meal is the result of my impulse shopping. I will go to the grocery store or market to pick up something specific and I see something else that I cannot resist. I hate to admit it but I am the target market for the person that the store brings in that has a degree in psychology, whose job it is to say "if we put this shiny object right here, the person with the screwed up brain is going to see it and they will have to have it.." I cannot tell you how many times I have gone in the store to pick up a package of dog treats and left with 20 bags and a $350 bill.
Well this time I had a partner in crime. My dear wife called me from Costco and she says "baby they have a beautiful USDA Prime Bottom Round." I thought man this is great, I'm at work and can't shop but now I've kind of got this personal shopper thing going. This happens quite often and I always take advantage of it. So after a little explaining as to how I'm not sure how I would cut and utilize the whole Bottom Round she responds, "there is a beautiful Prime NY Strip Loin, with excellent marbling." "How much is it?" "$8.69 a Lb." I tell her "that is a steal, it is normally $14.69 lb, you need to get that." She says it is $115 and I say great price!! Now comes my favorite part. She's walking down through the meat market and telling me what is pretty and how much is. I'm shopping vicariously through her, it's like she is my eyes. I see it all very vividly and she stops and says "oh, they have some beautiful Veal Chops, some are cut like a Porterhouse and some are cut like a Rib Steak." "How much are they, I ask." "$14.69 a lb she responds" Now I must transition back from shopper to salesman. "I've been wanting to try some Veal Chops, why don't you grab those and let's give it a try." And, that is how this meal began.
My wife and I love college basketball. We actually love all sports but basketball tournament time is very special to us because we use to always take vacation to go to the tournaments and had a blast doing so. The last several years I have been going to Las Vegas for the opening weekend of March Madness but I start getting the fever a week earlier when the conference tournaments are being played. This week I took off on Thursday to go with my normal Wednesday off to watch some basketball and get outside to do some grilling and fire the smoker up. I decided Wednesday would be the perfect day for the Veal Chops and that I would serve them with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles. Peggy found me a recipe for Veal Chops prepared with a Portobello Reduction Sauce. The recipe called for searing the chops in a skillet and preparing the sauce in skillet around the chops. After considering that, I decided I would sear the chops and cook them to about 80% done on the grill, then finish them in the Portobello Sauce after it had reduced some. With a plan in place it was time to get started.
As I was beginning to prep things Peggy asked if we might go out for an afternoon drink and see friends for a while. I had planned on staying in and I wasn't sure if the timing would allow for time out in the middle of preparation. After going over what needed to be done I said we could probably go out for about an hour from 5 until 6 and it would be a late dinner. She said she liked that idea and with me being off tomorrow that a late dinner would be fine. So I got to work on all the things that could be done ahead of time. I love making my Garlic Mashed Potatoes with roasted garlic. I took the heads off of the garlic and gave them a nice drenching with a good olive oil. I will cover an oven safe dish with foil and roast for one hour. The garlic will be super tender and mash beautifully into the potatoes and adding in some of the garlic infused Olive Oil will add a smooth silky finish and great flavor.Meanwhile, I go out and get my grills prepped. I will be cooking the chops on the Primo XL and I will do my Asparagus Bundles on the good ole Weber Kettle. Normally both things could be accomplished on the same grill but the process for the chops will keep the Primo occupied too late into the meal preparation to do the Asparagus on it as well.
I've snapped my Asparagus and will wrap it in the Prosciutto. From the "if something can go wrong, it will" analogy, the Prosciutto was too thin, not packaged properly and was tearing apart while trying to remove the slices. I work with this stuff quite often and it is always somewhat delicate but for $6 for 4 ounces you would think it would at least be usable. So while I'm going slightly nuts, screaming that I've got some $24 a pound crap that is screwing up my whole day Peggy calmly tells me there is more Prosciutto in the freezer and I might give it a try, instead of having a stroke. After a quick thaw on the Prosciutto from the freezer and getting great results wrapping my bundles, it would only be right if the voice of reason came down to the kitchen and made me admit I was overreacting and that she had saved the day. Very, very annoying but I still love her enough to cook her a nice meal.
The Asparagus is wrapped, drizzled with Olive Oil and seasoned with Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper. They can rest in the fridge and be ready to go on the grill when we return home. I will also season the Veal Chops. With this being my first experience with them, I take notice that they have an appearance more closely resembling a pork chop than beef. I will rub them lightly with Olive Oil, and season with Kosher Salt and Cracked black Pepper.
The chops are seasoned and I've got my potatoes peeled, cut up and soaking. Everything is pretty much ready to where we can go out for a while and when we return all that is left to be done is the cooking. It was a very nice visit to our favorite place for a drink. We were joined by our son and several friends for a very enjoyable but quick outing, returning home by 6:15 to get the fires going.
Upon returning home we got a visit from our favorite neighbor. He was coming with news that one of his great parties would be taking place on May,11th and the calender needed to be marked. He then informed me that I would have to leave before 5 a.m., maybe more like 4:30 this time. I told him someone needed to be there to run the party after he passed out and asked if there was anyone better than me for that job. Well that conversation was going to require a beer while he thought that over. Peggy and I were having a glass of the perfect white wine while I cooked. When I'm cooking a meal that is being paired with a red wine, I often like a light, crisp white wine while preparing the meal. The potatoes were almost ready and I will let them rest while I cook the chops and reheat them right before mashing them. The Primo XL has a hot fire going and is running 550 degrees, waiting to put a crusty sear on the Veal Chops. The Weber Kettle is fired up and the Asparagus will go on in the last 10 minutes of preparation
I leave the grill lid open leading up to putting the chops on. I want a flame that will be dancing right at grate level. I like the flames to lick the edges of the meat to add the crusty exterior that I am looking for. Once I shut the lid the flames will subside and it will be a nice even heat. These are thick chops running probably 1 1/2" thick yet I will only cook them 3 to 4 minutes per side to give them a good sear and get them 75% to 80% done. I will then remove them from the grill, let them rest while I prepare the mushroom sauce and add them to the sauce to finish cooking.
It is right through here where I would normally show you how I assemble the Portobello Reduction Sauce. Instead I enjoyed my wine, cracked jokes with my neighbor and tried not to cut my finger off.
The sauce starts with heating 2 tbs. of Olive Oil and 1 tbs. of butter. I take 8 ozs. of Baby Bella Mushrooms and cut them into slices between a 1/4" and 1/2 " thick, I add a good tbs. of chopped Shallots and once they have browned I add 11/2 cups of Chicken Stock, 1/2 cup of a good Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 tsp. of chopped fresh Rosemary. My chops come off the grill and come in to rest. Now I have a good hot fire to do my sauce reduction.
I put my Asparagus Bundles on the Weber and put my Cast Iron on the grill over the open fire. The smells are incredible as the Shallots, Rosemary, Red Wine and Mushrooms come together as one. I will reduce this down to a gravy consistency. The Mushrooms were intentionally cut thick to stand up to the high heat during the sauce reduction.
The sauce has reduced down to the point of adding my Veal Chops in. This will allow a little bit of the flavors to meld as the chops finish cooking. I will turn the chops several times and this will serve as a basting as the sauce thickens to its finish.
Sometimes you put in a lot of work and at the conclusion you have the feeling your work will result in a good dinner. Sometimes you put in a lot of work and you have the feeling that you nailed it and this will be a very special meal. I think this is going to be the latter.
The meal was paired with Edna Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Every single aspect of this meal came out perfect. It is rare that I prepare a meal and cannot be critical of the way something came out. This is one of those rare instances and this is why I love cooking. When you get it all right, there is not a single restaurant out there that you think could do it any better. Wow!! This was the first Veal Chop I have ever prepared or eaten and I must say it could very well be the best cut of meat I've ever eaten. The flavor was spectacular. The Garlic Mashed Potatoes were perfectly balanced with a rich but not overwhelming garlic infusion. The Asparagus was crispy yet tender and the Prosciutto added a saltiness that cannot be achieved by simply salting.
This was a near perfect day. I kept my eye on college basketball, did a few chores around the house and got to enjoy grilling out, a little over a week removed from the backyard having 3' deep snow drifts abound. I got to spend some quality time with some of the best friends and neighbors, man could ask for. I put time and love into preparing a meal for myself and my lovely wife and I got the reward of a lifetime. My wife said OMG, best meal ever and called me the Iron Chef of Lees Summit!! I would cook 1,000 meals to hear that once. Thank you to my beautiful wife for making me the proudest husband on earth. I love you with all my heart. Until I see you all again, enjoy one of the truly great times of the year, as we move from the cold of winter to the rebirth of all things green and the beautiful smells of Spring. Viva Las Vegas!!!
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