Veal Chops in The People's Republic of Ann Arbor

"There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air."

Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Berkeley, California.

College towns.

During the 60's these three towns became epicenters of rebellion, of fomentation. The SDS. The War. Nixon. "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, we don't know who's gonna win." These three towns were flash points for a nation's unrest.

The war ended and Nixon was impeached. Combining age with lack of a convenient target, the inquisitive inexorably became the acquisitive.

"I was never liberal when young, for fear it would make me conservative when old."

The baby-boomers have aged, and while much of the country likes its tyrants conservative and Christian, places like Ann Arbor prefer their oppressors liberal and politically correct. There are still war protests today, though in truth, if you see a picture of the crowds, you'd wonder if they've heard we're already out of Saigon.

No, in Ann Arbor the "wars" are now fought over more mundane issues. No smoking, no fur, green this, organic that, bike lanes, free Tibet, gay rights, pro-choice. You can be for or against anything you like, so long as it's liberal. You can throw animal blood on an old lady wearing a fur, while walking to a PETA rally, (irony is so ironic sometimes).

Don't misunderstand, I love living in Ann Arbor. The University is an 800 pound gorilla affecting everything around it. (Actually there are (7) 800 pound gorillas in town, the University, the Medical center, and the offensive line of the Michigan football team). The University makes Ann Arbor an exciting, eclectic place to live. The population is stunningly well educated; the University brings in an array of speakers and performers to rival any large city. And, for all the protests by year-round residents, the annual influx of students gives the town a vibrant and oddly innocent air. There are only three things you can't find in this town: a republican, a parking space or a decent veal chop.

That's right, no decent veal. I suspect it's the local populace's demand for free-range, humanely-raised, gently-induced-to-commit-suicide-before-processing meats, that makes them so tough. What follows is really a recipe for an all purpose accoutrement, gremolata, and less a recipe for veal. If you have access to proper veal, this recipe is spectacular.


Grilled Veal Chops with Gremolata
by Crabby

1/3 cup Parsley, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Rind of 1 lemon, minced.
Salt & Pepper, to taste

2 Veal Loin Chops

Pre-heat gas grill to high. Bring veal chops to room temperature.

In a medium bowl mix the first three ingredients. I normally use a Microplane grater to remove the lemon rind. This gives you small minced pieces of lemon with virtually no pith (white part). Add salt and pepper to taste. Ta-da, gremolata is done.

When the grill is hot, lightly oil the grates and turn down the heat to medium high. Place chops on grate and grill for 5 minutes per side. Depending on the temperature of your grill, this will give you a medium doneness chop.


Remove chops from the grill. Place on a non-reactive plate and squeeze the lemon juice from the previously denuded lemon onto the chops. Cover lightly with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

After resting, place a generous tablespoon of gremolata on each chop. Serve with a nice Pinot Noir form Oregon.



Crabby Tip: Gremolata is an amazing all-purpose addition to virtually any grilled meat. In the winter I add it to Osso Buco just prior to serving. For grilled fish, I'll substitute orange for the lemon. For lamb, instead of parsley use mint. Use it as is for any broth based soup. When added before service, it brightens virtually any dish.

That's it for this time. Just remember, power to the people, oh, and, you can do it, you can cook!

By the way, this is an old picture of CC1.
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Oops, almost forgot.

Crabby Quiz: I opened this post with a quote. Name the song and the artist.

Bonus Question: There is a quote about about being liberal when young, name the author.

Have fun.