A while ago, Stefan, over at Stefan’s Gourmet Blog, whipped up Veal Picatta which I thought looked absolutely terrific. Basically, a Piccata is a dish of Italian origin in which thin slices of meat (chiefly veal but occasionally turkey or chicken) are sautéed and then finished of a light sauce containing white wine and (in most modern versions) lemon juice. Veal is all but impossible to come by in my neck of the woods but it struck me that the very light, lean meat from good quality boneless pork chops might work very well instead…
The Ingredients
- 2 moderately thick boneless Pork Chops (or 4 very thin ones);
- ½ cup Flour;
- ½ tsp. each Salt and Pepper;
- 4 tbsp. Butter;
- ¼ cup Wine;
- 1 clove Garlic, minced;
- 3 – 4 tbsp. finely chopped Onion;
- ½ cup good Chicken Stock;
- ¼ cup Lemon juice;
- ½ tsp. Sugar;
- 1 ½ tsp. minced Lemon Zest;
- 3 or 4 tbsp. chopped fresh Parsley (Italian flat-leaf variety).
The Method
First, trim the chops of any fat and, if using thick chops, slice them horizontally in half. Tenderize the pieces using a meat hammer or your fist, leaving them not less than one-third of an inch thick.
Season the slices with the salt and pepper and then dredge them in the flour, reserving a teaspoon of the flour for thickening the sauce later. Next, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan over moderate heat and then quickly brown the pork slices on both sides. Remove them to a dish and keep warm for now.
Deglaze the pan using the wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. When the wine has evaporated, add the remaining butter and lightly fry the garlic and onion just until the onion is soft and translucent.
Stir in the reserved tablespoon of flour and after it has cooked for a moment or two, add the stock, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Once the sauce has thickened, add the parsley.
Add the meat back to the pan, spooning some of the sauce over each slice. Cook a few moments longer until the slices are heated through and then serve.
The Verdict
I served the Piccata with some plain boiled potatoes and fronds of fresh kale sautéed in pork fat with a little onion and a splash of vinegar. The pork was nicely complimented by the tangy, lemon of the sauce and I think it every bit as good a choice for this dish as is veal. In future, I may try not thickening the sauce with flour but, instead, allow for a thinner version that is merely reduced and smoothed with a dash more butter at the end. Otherwise, I thought this a top-notch supper…
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Nicely done, John, and the photo is mouthwatering.
Thanks Richard … I’m going to tweak the sauce recipe a bit though 🙂
I haven’t cooked veal in a while. I must try this recipe. I like the way the curly leaves of the kale hold a lot of the sauce making it a delicious chomp.
It’s too bad kale only appears infrequently here 😦
Looks terrific, John! Do let us know how the sauce goes without flour as a thickener!
Will do 🙂
You could cook an old shoe piccata style and I’d probably eat it. The combo of lemon, garlic, white wine, butter and chicken stock = Manna from Heaven.
I’m with you … I still prefer pork or veal but a little sole is fine 🙂
Ha! I see what you did there.
Pork makes everything better. 🙂
Always!!
OMG! I’m drooling profusely !
I actually think either pork or chicken makes a better piccata than veal. I know with veal it’s often more about the tenderness rather than the flavor of the meat, but with all the lemon, I think having a flavorful meat makes for a better dish. Anyway, good job with this – thanks.
Piccata is a favorite of mine, though I’ve not made it for a while now. I love it with chicken, veal or pork. I’ve also seen recipes with turkey but I haven’t tried that myself. I add capers to mine though and have never tried it with sugar! Great photos and recipe!
Thank you! I like capers in a piccata too 🙂
There’s a local pizza joint that has them as a topping and I’m hooked. Just something about those little buggers…:)
They come in two types, I gather. There are true caper berries, from some sort of bush, but pickled nasturtium seeds also get sold as capers… I *think* the berries are larger.
I’ve never heard that about nasturium seeds – that’s so interesting!
Dinner was divine tonight! Thank you for the directions. 😊
Wow … I’m so glad it worked out nicely for you. I liked that meal but it was one I thought might be improved upon.