My wife, Lynn, doesn’t have time for complex, five-star food preparations, even if she had the wherewithal, which she doesn’t, because she still works. But by her working we have been blessed with the carry-over to dine occasionally at the world’s best restaurants, creating an upscale appreciation and thus an incongruity for home cooking. The best we can do is search out and treasure a few simple home preparations that taste almost as good as haute cuisine, or at least as good as what we find at top NYC bistros. We cooked up this simple dish last night and enjoyed it so much I thought I would share the recipe.
Brown four flour dredged veal chops in butter and veg oil. Scatter garlic cloves around the chops and lay 1/3 of a bay leaf on each. Add dried thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until done. Transfer chops to warm serving dish. Leave bay leaves in pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar and cook, stirring until evaporated. Add ½ cup chicken stock and a ¼ cup of water. Reduce to liking. Stir in a tablespoon of butter. Pour the sauce over the chops and garnish with the garlic and bay leaves.
Nothing beats a moderately aged Pauillac with this. We chose 2003 Chateau Lynch Moussas, another common man’s almost great pleasure, and it was absolutely perfect.