MAKE THE CUT

Gareth Stewart, executive chef of the Nourish Group’s Andiamo, shares his recipe for Veal Chop with Lemon, Anchovy Butter and Soft Polenta

Chef Gareth Stewart serves up Veal Chop with Lemon, Anchovy Butter and Soft Polenta.

Veal sometimes gets a bad rap and people can be put off by it when dining out. I have no doubt this recipe will sway your decision though. It’s a simple Italian-inspired dish that I serve at Andiamo, and it gives a salty lemon and buttery finish to an already beautiful cut of meat.

Creamy polenta takes the place of the mundane mashed potato – it’s a great vehicle for extra butter, parmesan and truffle.

You could also substitute a pork chop for the veal chop in this recipe; just change the cooking temperature slightly. As always, I recommend investing in a decent thermometer for cooking meat so that you can take the guesswork out of it.

Veal Chop for Two with Lemon, Anchovy Butter and Soft Polenta

500-600 gram veal chop sea salt and ground pepper 2 tablespoons cooking oil 75 grams butter

5 anchovies, chopped

1 sprig thyme

2 cloves garlic, smashed juice 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

SOFT POLENTA

180ml each milk and

chicken stock

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

3 cloves garlic, smashed 60 grams polenta 1 tablespoon each butter and

mascarpone 50 grams freshly grated parmesan 1 teaspoon truffle oil

TO SERVE

veal or beef jus (optional)

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

POLENTA: Place the milk, chicken stock, thyme, bay leaf and garlic in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Pass the liquid through a fine sieve into another saucepan, discarding the solids, and whisk in the polenta. Place on a low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir the butter, mascarpone and parmesan through the polenta and drizzle with the truffle oil.

VEAL: While the polenta is cooking, firmly tie a piece of string around the circumference of the chop to hold the shape and cut off any loose pieces. Generously season with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet until it is really hot and add the cooking oil. Sear the chop on both sides, caramelising evenly.

Place the skillet in the oven and roast the chop for 2-3 minutes. Take the skillet out of the oven and turn the chop. Add the butter, anchovies, thyme and garlic, and place the skillet on the stovetop over a medium heat and allow the butter to melt.

Baste the chop in the butter and then replace the skillet in the oven for a further 2-3 minutes. The internal temperature of the cooked chop should read 45-47°C.

Baste the chop in the butter again and deglaze with the lemon juice before you remove the chop from the skillet to rest on a rack for 8 minutes. Pick the smashed garlic and thyme sprig out of the butter and discard. Reserve the butter in the pan and don’t turn the oven off.

TO SERVE: Place the chop back in the pan and into the oven for 1 minute to reheat. Remove from the pan, remove the bone, then slice thinly and transfer to a serving dish.

Add the parsley to the reserved butter.

Drizzle some of the butter over the veal and the polenta. Serve with a veal or beef jus, if desired. SERVES 2