Roasted veal chops with black trumpet ragu and crispy artichokes

Artichokes are interesting little beasts. Yes, I refer to them as beasts, because for the first time, I bought whole fresh artichokes and cleaned them myself. And it was beastly. OK, maybe it wasn't that bad, but there was prickly fluff all over my cutting board. And I was so awkward with them that they were turning black faster than I could clean them. Once cleaned, they're worth the effort. They have that unique taste that keeps sommeliers guessing. They don't really pair well with wines, but even so, these little beasts make plenty of appearances in my kitchen (try my artichoke pie for example).

The rest of this recipe is made up of equally yummy things: mushrooms, cream, onion and veal! Yum, yum and yum. Who could resist? I made this as an entree following our Bay scallops with smoked fingerling potato salad, endive and McIntosh apple. The cream makes it really rich. Let me repeat: really rich. It was delicious, but we thought it needed a little acid. We sprinkled a little lemon on it at the end and it helped bring out the flavors. Try it without and if you agree, add a little lemon.

I almost never broil chops. My husband doesn't mind grilling no matter the weather (he is Canadian after all). But these turned out great - I preheated the oven first then turned on the broiler. The veal was tender and juicy. I adapted the original recipe for 2 - I cut the sauce in half, used 2 chops instead of 6 and 2 artichokes instead of 3.

Roasted veal chops with black trumpet ragu and crispy artichokes
adapted from Fresh from the Market by Laurent Tourondel

For the black trumpet ragout:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, cut into medium dice
• 4 ounces black trumpet mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the veal chops:

• 2 bone-in veal chops, frenched and cleaned, 14 ounces each

Artichokes

• Vegetable oil for frying
• 2 small globe artichokes, trimmed and cut into quarters 

For the black trumpet ragout:

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the onion and sauté until well caramelized, about 10 minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and sauté the mushrooms until tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the caramelized onion and deglaze with the wine. Continue cooking until the wine has reduced to just a tablespoon of liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the cream is very thick, about 8 minutes. Add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the veal chops:

While the ragout is simmering, place the broiler rack about 4 inches away from the heat source and preheat the broiler. Season the veal chops with salt and pepper. Broil the chops until they are pink when cut in the center, about 7 minutes per side for medium-rare doneness. To check for doneness, make a small cut near the bone or insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. The temperature should be 140–150 degrees. Remove from the heat, tent with aluminum foil and let rest.

Blanch the artichokes. Fill a deep heavy saucepan or deep fryer with 3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 300 degrees. Blanch the artichokes in the oil until the leaves are golden brown and the artichokes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 5 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange the veal chops on 6 serving plates. Spoon the ragout evenly over the veal chops and top each with some artichoke. Serve immediately.