LCBO Food and Drink Winter 2016

2 Working with 1 chop at a time, lay between 2 sheets of cling wrap or 2 re-sealable plastic bags, and pound each chop to a generous ⅓-inch (a scant cm) thickness; set aside. 3 Using 2 dinner plates, place flour on 1 and bread crumbs on the other; season bread crumbs generously with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs with Parmesan in a shallow bak- ing dish or large bowl. 4 Dredge chops, 1 at a time, first inflour (there’s no need to coat the bone), then in egg; press into bread crumbs to thoroughly cover meat. 5 Preheat oven to 200°F (100°C). 6 Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) each butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, Once but- ter has stopped foaming, add 2 chops to pan and cook 2 minutes per side or until golden and crisp; remove to a baking sheet and hold in oven while frying remaining 2 chops. Refresh butter and oil as necessary. 7 Serve chops with a generous spoonful of the relish. Serves 4

8 oz (250 g) mixed mushrooms, sliced or torn 1 small shallot, sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream 4 oz (125 g) Gorgonzola broken into small chunks 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped chives Fine sea salt 1 Place the trumpet and porcini mushrooms in 2 separate heatproof bowls; pour ½ cup (125 mL) hot water over each and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Take steak out of fridge and allow to warm to room temperature. 2 Drain black trumpet mushrooms from soak­ ing liquid; discard liquid. Rinse mushrooms under fresh running water and gently squeeze to remove excess moisture; return to bowl. Drain porcini from soaking liquid, however, reserve liquid this time. Gently squeeze porcini over reserved liquid to remove excess moisture frommushrooms and roughly chop; add to bowl containing trumpet mushrooms. Set mush­ rooms and porcini liquid aside separately. 3 Melt butter in a large skillet over medium- high heat; add fresh mixed mushrooms and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are light golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, porcini and trumpet mushrooms; stir to combine and cook 1 minute longer. 4 Pour reserved porcini soaking liquid through a fine mesh sieve into pan, bring to a boil, and reduce until only a small amount of mois- ture remains. Stir in cream; boil until slightly thickened and sauce coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in cheese and stir until melted; add chives, remove sauce fromheat and keep warm while preparing steak. 5 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 6 Pat steak dry to ensure the best crust; sea- son generously with pepper. Heat a large cast- iron pan over high heat. Sprinkle 1 tsp (2 mL) of fine sea salt into pan and shake to evenly distribute. Once pan is smoking, place steak in pan over salt and cook for 3 minutes. Lift steak, add an additional 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt to the pan and shake once again to evenly distribute. Place un-seared side of steak down over salt and cook an additional 3 minutes. Place skillet and steak in oven and roast for 5 minutes for medium-rare, 6 minutes for medium. 7 Remove steak to a board and rest for 5 min- utes before carving into thick slices. Serve 4 to 5 slices or so per person, topped with the mushrooms and sauce. Serves 4

MI LANESE-STYLE VEAL CHOPS WITH

TOMATO-ALMOND REL I SH I like to leave the veal a little thicker than is typical for this Milanese standby so that the chops are still a bit pink in the middle. The lovely relish is a perfect winter trick to have up your sleeve when the only fresh basil avail- able comes in small rectangular supermarket packs, and cherry tomatoes are the only kind that taste like tomatoes. Serve these with a simply dressed arugula salad or sliced fennel that has been tossed with a little olive oil, sea- soned with salt and roasted in a 425°F (220°C) oven for about 30 minutes until caramelized. TOMATO-ALMOND RELISH ⅓ cup (80 mL) toasted almonds 10 basil leaves 1 cup (250 mL) halved cherry or grape tomatoes 2 tbsp (30 mL) drained, chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil 1 clove garlic, finely chopped ¼ cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil CHOPS 4 frenched bone-in veal rib chops, each about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick ½ cup (125 mL) flour 2 cups (500 mL) bread crumbs Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 eggs ¼ cup (60 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese Butter and olive oil for frying 1 To make tomato-almond relish, chop al- monds in the bowl of a food processor; sieve to remove dusty bits and turn out into a small bowl. Add basil, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes to food processor; pulse until mixture resem- bles salsa. Add to bowl. Stir in garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pep- per; set aside while preparing chops. 2 tsp (10 mL) balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground pepper

SALT-CRUSTED PORTERHOUSE WITH CREAMY GORGONZOLA MUSHROOMS A single generously sized porterhouse steak can feed a small crowd with minimal fuss. The oil-free cooking method works like a charm to impart a fabulous crust. If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, choose the heaviest-bottom pan you’ve got. The luxuriously velvety mush- rooms gild the lily. Serve with classic but- tery mashed potatoes flecked through with chopped green onion. ¼ cup (60 mL) dried black trumpet mushrooms ¼ cup (60 mL) dried porcini mushrooms 1 cup (250 mL) hot water, divided 1 porterhouse steak, 1½ inches (4 cm) thick, 2½ to 3 lbs (1.25 to 1.5 kg) 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter

94  FOOD & DRI NK WINTER 2016