Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Grilled Pesto Veal Chops

Grilled Pesto Veal Chops

First the pesto....
Makes 1½ cups I use a food processor and just throw everything in to speed up the process.
Total Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves firmly packed (discard stems), washed and dried well (usually two bunches)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 large cloves garlic
½ cup olive oil

Directions:
1. With the food processor running, drop garlic through feeding tube. If you don’t have a food processor you can use the traditional way it's done in Italy- use a mortar and pestle to hand grind the ingredients into a paste.

2. Add basil leaves to the food processor bowl and pulse on/off until the basil is chopped, add cheese, blend until well blended. (1 minute or so). Add oil through the feeding tube while the machine is running to create a smooth pesto paste.

3. Place in a container that seals well and refrigerate. I use clingy plastic wrap that touches the entire surface area so that the pesto won't turn dark (oxidation does that so keep it exposed to air as little as possible). Pesto will keep for a couple of months in the fridge.

Now the grilled veal chops:

Prep time: 2 minutes
Grill time: 10 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pesto
2 Veal Chops about 3/4 - 1" thick

Directions:
1. Heat up the BBQ, broiler if you're not lucky enough to easily use a BBQ.

2. Spread some pesto on both sides of the chops.

3. Grill for 5 minutes per side or until just a little pink in the center.

4. Place on a plate or platter and cover with foil for 5 minutes. This allows the muscle to relax and you'll have a juicier chop to munch on.

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