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Photography by Steve Adams; Food Styling by Anne McLaughlin Nechkov
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Matthew Sheeter, Viking Cooking School
“If I were to die, I’d like to come back as an Italian,” says chef Matthew Sheeter of the Viking Cooking School. “They love food, clothes and family.” When asked to pick his favorite Sunday dinner for friends, the fact that the chop tastes like it could have been cooked in Rome is no surprise. “Italian is my favorite Sunday meal,” he says. “But if I could, I would eat Italian every day.”
Veal Chops With Fresh Fennel and Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Veal Chops
4 (6-ounce) veal chops
2 tablespoons roasted garlic oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh fennel sprigs, for garnish
Fresh Fennel and Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup diced fresh fennel bulb
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes, peeled, seeded
1/2 cup dry white wine, of drinkable quality
1 tablespoon anisette liqueur
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 375. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Brush the veal chops with roasted-garlic oil. Season each chop with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. (Note: To use a grill pan, lightly coat with oil and preheat.) Place the chops on the grate or in the pan.
Cook 2 minutes, then, without turning the chops over, rotate them 90 degrees and place them back on the grill or grill pan. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the chops and repeat the process on the second side. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove the chops from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
For the sauce: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté the fennel over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes, cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and anisette liqueur; cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter and balsamic vinegar. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve. Place 1⁄4 cup fennel and tomato sauce on each plate. Place a veal chop on sauce. Garnish with fresh fennel sprigs. Serve immediately.
Herbed Pasta
6 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh angel hair pasta
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
4 tablespoons mixed fresh minced herbs, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cherry tomatoes, for garnish
Place 4 to 6 quarts of water in an 8-quart stock pot with a pasta insert. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add salt. Bring water back to a boil. Add fresh pasta and stir. Cook just until done. Drain the pasta and toss with olive oil, fresh herbs and pepper. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Anne Cori, Kitchen Conservatory
Chef Anne Cori of Kitchen Conservatory learned the tricks of the cooking trade while she was living in France and Italy. As for this “pretty elegant, simple and unusual” Sunday repast, she says, “You can put it together ahead of time, and your guests will be wowed.”
Shrimp and Scallop en Papillote
Served with champagne tarragon sauce
Serves 1 (make as many as you have people at the table)
For each papillote:
1/4 cup sliced onions
2-3 sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper
3-4 asparagus tips
2 large sea scallops
3 shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons champagne
1 tablespoon butter
1 sprig fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut parchment paper into heart-shaped pieces approximately 14 inches in diameter. Sauté the onion and mushrooms in olive oil, season well and set aside to cool. Roast the red bell pepper by placing it directly on the stove or grill and cooking it until completely charred. Cover and let steam until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and seeds, then cut the pepper into strips. Use about a quarter of the pepper for each papillote. On each piece of parchment, place the mushroom mixture, then top with the scallops and shrimp and garnish with the pepper, asparagus and tarragon. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the butter and champagne. Carefully fold up the edges of the paper (starting at the inside point of the heart) so that the fish is sealed. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Jeff Riedel, L’École Culinaire
Chef Jeff Riedel grew up cooking in his family’s restaurant, Riedel’s, in Swansea, Ill. He says the only trick with this Sunday supper is learning how to roll out the pasta for the pirogies. “The meal is very homey and not too pretentious,” Riedel says.
Pistachio-Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb
Served with sun-dried cherry–coffee stout reduction; butternut squash pirogies
Serves 5
Lamb
2 racks domestic lamb, trimmed and frenched
1 head fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Pommery mustard
1 cup pistachio nuts, chopped fine
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
1/2 cup sun-dried cherries
1 cup Schlafly Coffee Stour
1 cup veal stock
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Rub lamb rack with kosher salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Brown lamb on all sides.
While lamb is browning, mix mustard, garlic, nuts and rosemary. When lamb is fully brown, coat with a layer of the nut mixture; place in a roasting pan, bone side down. Roast at 350 for 20 minutes. When lamb is done, remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
Heat same skillet in which lamb was browned; add stout, veal stock and cherries. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes until cherries start to absorb stout and liquid has reduced by half. Slice lamb into chops, and serve three chops per person. Top with 2 ounces of the cherry-stout reduction.
Butternut Squash Pirogies
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
3 eggs
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 potato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup onions, diced fine
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
In a saucepan boil squash and potatoes in a quart of water until tender. Drain. Let cool. Mash the potatoes and squash separately; place into two different bowls. In the potato bowl add semolina flour, two eggs and chives. Mix into a smooth dough. Set aside. In the squash bowl add cheese, onion, one egg and 2 tablespoons sage. Mix well. On a well-floured table roll out 2-inch circles of dough about 1/8 inch thick. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough circle. Fold over to make a half-moon shape. Crimp edges with fork. Repeat. Cook pirogies in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain. Heat butter in a skillet. Add sage and pirogies and sauté until lightly browned on both sides.
