Veal Chop with Shallots and Balsamic Glaze for One

I am always looking for a recipe for one so that when my husband has fish I have something good to eat .The dish also has to cook up quickly because fish is usually done in 5 minutes or less. I like veal,and the recipe below is quick and simple to make.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 veal chop about 1 inch  thick
1 tablespoon flour
1 small shallot,diced
1/4 cup  balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Flat leaf parsley for garnish

Preparation:
Pound veal chop lightly on both side
Salt and pepper veal chop on both sides
Dredge chop in flour
Heat  1tablespoon olive oil in grill pan until hot but not smoking
Sear chop on both sides about 1 minute a side
Place chop on oven proof pan and place in 350degree oven
Bake chop in oven for 10 minutes
While Chop is baking, saute shallot in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil ,add the vinegar and boil over high heat until it is reduced by half ,about 5 minutes
Add the beef stock and boil down again until the sauce is reduced by half again,about 5 minutes,or until sauce becomes thick like syrup
Whisk in butter and add salt and pepper to taste
Remove chop from oven and place on dish
Pour the glaze over the chop,garnish with parsley and serve 

Note: in general,pounding chops with a bone in is a no no,but veal can be very tough .I lightly pound to avoid this problem

Chicken Breasts with Dried Cranberries and Balsamic Sauce

We eat a lot of chicken in my family and it is hard to come up with anything new to serve.This recipe is easy and appeals to both the sweet and sour tastes buds.

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breast,trimmed and tenderized with a meat mallet
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of good Balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Honey
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Preparation :
Salt and pepper chicken on both sides
Dredge chicken in flour shaking off any excess
Saute chicken in olive oil for about 1 minute per side,or until golden brown
Place chicken in roasting pan and roast in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes
In saucepan,combine balsamic vinegar,honey and dried cranberries
Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until sauce thickens
Remove chicken from oven and place on serving dish
Drizzle chicken with thickened sauce add garnish and serve

Serves 4

Pork Medallions with Sweet and Sour Sauce

The pork industry likes to call pork "the other white meat".I am not sure about that,but certainly the pork tenderloin comes close.Pork lends itself to sweet and sour tastes.This recipe calls for 2 pork tenderloins as they often come two to a package and some weight is lost from the trimming

Ingredients:

2 Pork tenderloin,trimmed of fat and silver skin
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp real maple syrup(do not substitute artificial maple syrup)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter

Preparation:

Slice pork tenderloins into one inch thick rounds
Season both sides of sliced tenderloin with salt and pepper
Dredge pork medallions in flour and shake to remove excess flour
In a large pan,heat olive oil until hot but not smoking
Brown pork medallions until golden,about 2 minutes a side
Remove pork medallions from pan and place on serving dish
Add shallots to pan and cook for about 30 seconds
Add mustard and chicken broth and simmer for about 5 minutes
Stir in maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and boil down fro about 5 minutes
Finish sauce with one tbsp butter
spoon over pork and serve


A good accompaniment for this dish is mashed potatoes and snow peas to complement the Asian flavor

Serves 4                  Photo by MSPhotographic/Shutterstock.com