Braised Veal Chops with Creamy Cabbage

This is adapted from a recipe for braised pork chops with cabbage that I'd read about on the web from someone called Molly Stevens' book All About Braising. I’d not actually heard about her before but found a lot of people on US sites (chowhound and the like - and the book gets 5 stars on amazon.com) were banging on about this particular recipe.. a couple of google searches later, behold I found it.  The original recipe actually calls for a pork chop but courtesy of my wonderful local (to work) butcher McKanna’s I opted for veal.  Either would work - it may not look particularly pretty but it is super-tasty.


Braised Veal Chops and Cabbage
Serves 2

2 thick bone-in veal chops
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dredging
1 tbsp olive oil
15g  butter
1 tsp celery seeds (if you can’t find, use celery salt or even some very finely chopped celery leaves, sautéed)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 shallot, finely sliced
½  head of cabbage, sliced into thin strips or shredded
120ml vermouth
150ml chicken stock
1 tbsp cider vinegar
4 tbsp creme fraiche (low or full fat)

Season the veal chops with salt and pepper then dredge both sides with flour.

Heat the olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium to high heat the add the chops and cook until nicely browned on both sides - probably about four minutes per side.  Set the chops aside on a plate.

Melt the butter in the same pan over a medium heat and when lightly foaming add the mustard and celery seeds and fry until they begin to pop (about one minute).

Add the shallots and cook for a couple of minutes until soft before adding the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce the heat and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cabbage wilts.

Add the vermouth and let it simmer down for a couple of minutes before adding the stock and vinegar. Bring back to a simmer.

Add the chops, pushing some cabbage and shallot mixture up against them then cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until veal is cooked through, turning once.

Once the veal is cooked, transfer to plate.  Add the creme fraiche to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes until the cabbage is creamy.

Spoon the cabbage on and around the chops and serve.