Côte de Veau Milanaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Smooth meat mallet or flat-bottomed heavy pan
• •Largest heavy skillet, 12 to 14 inches (30 to 35 cm)
• •4-quart (4 L) saucepan
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Broad flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the garnish

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set a wire rack over a sheet pan inside. Cut the ham, salted tongue, mushrooms, and truffle julienne-fashion, into fine matchstick rods, keeping the mushrooms separate. Grate both cheeses before beginning; once the veal meets the butter, there is no useful pause.

2. 2

   Flatten and bread

   Lay each chop between sheets of parchment. Dampen the smooth face of a meat mallet and strike the flesh evenly, working around the bone without hitting it, until the meat is reduced to half its original thickness, about 3/8 inch (1 cm). Season the chops with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) of the salt and half the pepper. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan in another, keeping the source ratio of two parts crumbs to one part cheese. Dip each chop directly into egg, let the excess fall away, then press it firmly into the crumb mixture on both sides. There is no flour layer in this formula. Rest the breaded chops on a rack for 10 minutes so the coating adheres.

   Check the meat from several angles after flattening. A thick pocket beside the bone will still be raw when the Parmesan crust is ready, while a thin edge will dry before the centre cooks.
3. 3

   Cook the macaroni

   Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) of the salt. Cook the macaroni until tender with a faint resistance at the centre. Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of its cooking water, then drain without rinsing. Toss the macaroni with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter and keep it covered nearby.

4. 4

   Warm the julienne

   Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Add the mushroom julienne and cook until its moisture evaporates and the edges begin to brown. Add the ham, salted tongue, truffle, and Madeira. Bubble for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing gently, until everything is hot and the Madeira has reduced to a glossy spoonful rather than disappearing. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

5. 5

   Bind the macaroni

   Put the tomato purée and remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 29 g) butter into the saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, just until glossy, keeping the purée vividly red rather than browning it. Add the macaroni, nutmeg, and remaining pepper. Take the pan off the heat and fold in the Gruyère, Parmesan, and Madeira-warmed julienne. Add reserved pasta water a spoonful at a time until the cheeses and tomato cohere around the macaroni in a glossy coating. Taste before adding any extra salt because the tongue and cheeses carry plenty. If the cheese clumps or the macaroni tightens, stop heating and work in warm pasta water one spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape. Cover and hold over the lowest possible heat.

6. 6

   Fry the veal

   Heat enough clarified butter to cover the bottom of your largest heavy skillet generously, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) deep, over medium heat. It should shimmer at about 340°F (170°C), never smoke. Lower in one or two chops without crowding and fry without shifting them for 2 to 3 minutes, until the underside is deep butter-gold. Turn once and cook the second side for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the crust is crisp and the thickest meat beside the bone reaches 145°F (63°C). Transfer to the warm rack and repeat, replenishing the clarified butter as needed. Parmesan darkens quickly, so if loose crumbs begin turning mahogany, lift out the chop, take the pan off the heat, remove the dark crumbs, add fresh clarified butter, and lower the flame before continuing. Ça se rattrape; scorched crumbs left in the pan do not.

   The crust should move as one piece with the chop. Turn with a broad spatula rather than tongs, which can pinch through the coating and pull it away.
7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Rest the final chops for 3 minutes. If the macaroni has tightened while the veal cooked, loosen it over gentle heat with another spoonful of reserved pasta water. Set each chop on a warm plate with its bare bone pointing outward and spoon a generous mound of milanaise macaroni beside it, never beneath the crust. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for bone-in veal rib chops of even size, with enough exposed bone to use as a handle while flattening. Pale meat is no guarantee of quality; look for chops that are moist, firm, and finely grained.
• •Buy cooked cured tongue from a good delicatessen and ask for one thick slice you can cut julienne-fashion. Thin sandwich slices collapse into the macaroni, while the proper matchsticks keep their spring and savory depth.
• •A small preserved whole black truffle is the classical pantry's honest weeknight answer when fresh truffle isn't sensible. Drain it well and cut it finely. Truffle-flavored oil supplies perfume but none of the texture this garnish requires.
• •Clarified butter gives the Parmesan crumb time to bronze without burnt milk solids. If it isn't available, use equal quantities of real butter and neutral oil, the source entry's own alternative. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Pour a bright, lightly structured red such as Beaujolais-Villages. Heavy tannin overwhelms the veal, while good acidity answers the tomato, cheese, and Madeira.
• •Refrigerate leftover veal and macaroni separately for up to 2 days. Reheat the cutlets on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven and loosen the macaroni gently with water; reheating them together sacrifices the crust.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the ham, tongue, mushrooms, and truffle julienne-fashion and grate the cheeses up to 1 day ahead. Keep each component covered and chilled, with the mushrooms separate from the cured meats.
• •The chops can be flattened and breaded up to 1 hour ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered on a rack so the crumb sets, then let them stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before frying.
• •The milanaise macaroni can wait, covered, for about 30 minutes over very low heat. Reserve extra pasta water and loosen it just before serving, because the cheeses continue to absorb moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 490g)