What is it about a cutlet that’s so incredibly satisfying for so many people? It’s hard to say with certainty, but. my guess is that appealing contrast in textures between the crispy breaded crust and the soft and moist inside. It’s one of the reasons why the classic cotoletta alla milanese is one of Milan’s most beloved dishes.
Well, costoletta alla valdostana from the nearby Val d’Aosta region takes that conceit to the next level. Anything labled alla valdostana will often include ham and cheese, and this dish is no exception. This bone in cutlet is first split open and stuffed with a slice of ham and several of fontina cheese, which produces a creamy, nutty and savory interior that contrasts beautifully with its golden brown crust.
I’ve made a couple of substitutions in this recipe. Traditionally a costoletta alla valdostana is made with a veal rib chop. But given the price of veal these days—one local supermarket charges a cool $33 for a single chop!—I opted for pork instead. The classic recipe also has you fry the chops entirely in butter. But given the amount of fat required, I opted for a mix of (mostly) vegetable oil to which I’ve added a generous knob of butter for flavor. This mix is also less likely to burn.
Either way, costoletta alla valdostana is worth a try. To my mind, it’s the ultimate bone in cutlet.
Ingredients
Per person
- I veal (or pork) rib chop
for the filling:
- 25g (1 oz) fontina cheese (or another meltable Alpine cheese), thinly sliced
- 1 slice of cooked ham
for the breading:
- all purpose flour, as much as needed
- 1-2 eggs, beaten
- breadcrumbs, as much as needed
for frying:
- Vegetable oil
- A large knob of butter
Directions
Prep the chop
Trim off any fat or gristle from around the edges of your chop.
Now, very carefully cut the filet in half heightwise almost but not quite all the way to the bone, so that it opens like a book.
Gently flatten each flap of the filet with a meat pounder with outward motion from the bone,, getting it as thin as you can manage without mauling it.
Season the chop generously inside and out with salt and pepper.
Filling the chop
Lay on a slice of ham and then a few slices of fontina, enough to cover one flap but leaving a perimeter around the edges.
Close the flap and then very gently pound the chop once more to seal the two flaps together.
Breading the chop
Lay out three shallow plates with flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
Holding the chop with both hands and pinching the two flaps together, very gingerly dip the chop first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs, making sure that it is well covered on both sides each time. Press the breadcrumbs into the meat so it adheres well.
Browning the chop
In a skillet large just enough to hold the chop, over medium-low heat vegetable oil enough to come up about 1/2 the height of your chop, along with a large knob of butter.
When the butter has completely melted and ceases bubbling, gingerly lay in the chop. Sauté until it is golden browned on one side, about 5 minutes (or possibly more for a thicker chop), then turn it and brown the other side as well for another 5 minutes or so.
Serve
Serve the chop right away, or keep warm until you’re ready to serve. Sprinkle lightly with salt just before serving.
Notes on costoletta alla valdostana
The recipe for costoletta alla valdostana involves quite a few steps, but there are only a couple of tricky bits to watch out for. The first involves making sure the two flaps of meat don’t come apart. You need to handle the uncooked split chop with some care. Once the breading cooks, it should bind them together nicely.
The other involves making sure the chop cooks through on both sides and the cheese filling melts before the breading browns too much or, God forbid, burns. Of course, the more you manage to flatten your chop, the quicker it will cook. This is more easily done with veal than pork. Otherwise, setting your flame to medium or medium-low and letting it go for 5 minutes on each side—or slightly longer for a thicker chop—should do the trick. Lower the heat further if you see the breading brown too quickly. If all else fails and you find the breading has browned but the meat is still too pink for your taste, you can pop the chop in a low oven, say 160C/325F, for a few minutes to finish it cooking on the inside.
Choosing your meat
As mentioned at the top, veal is the classic meat for making a costoletta alla valdostana, but if you can’t find a veal chop or, like me, you find the price just too extravagant, then a rib pork chop will provide an acceptable substitute. The meat won’t be quite as tender, but it provides a fine, mild flavor that works well in this recipe. Make sure to use a rib chop, as you need that bone to hold the two flaps together. A loin chop won’t work as the bone is in the middle.
For North American readers, refer to our post on cotoletta alla milanese for tips on choosing and treating North American veal.
Choosing your cheese
There are many so called fontina cheeses in the market today, but the classic and best for making costoletta alla valdostana is Fontina Val d’Aosta DOP, which has been made in Val d’Aosta region since the 12th century. It really is second to none, much finer, nuttier flavor than the various other fontinas. The commonly found type wtih the red rind is not real thing.
That said, you can turn out a perfectly edible costoletta with another meltable Alpine cheese like Emmenthal, gruyere or raclette. Perhaps change the name to costoletta Cordon Bleu, the other common moniker for dishes with ham and cheese other than a true fontina.
Variations
In some recipes you omit the ham and use only the cheese for the filling.
You can use this method to make a boneless cutlet called cotoletta alla valdostana (without the s). You place the two boneless cutlets, pounded thin, one on top of the other, with the filling in between. With a cotoletta, you can branch out into other meats as well, like chicken or turkey breast cutlets.
A quick little language lesson: a cotoletta is the Italian word for a boneless cutlet. Costoletta with an s means a bone in cutlet or chop. (From costola, which means rib.) With one notable exception—although technically incorrect, cotoletta alla milanese usually refers to a breaded chop with the bone in.
You can also make life easier for yourself by laying the ham and cheese on top of a single cutlet after it’s browned on both sides, the cover and let it cook gently for a few minutes, until the cheese melts. Here you can forego the breading and just lightly flour the cutlet on both sides.
Making costoletta alla valdostana ahead
You can prep the chop up up and though the breading, then brown it when you want to eat. This is the best way to do it, as it ensure a ince crisp crust.
If you must make this dish entirely ahead, gently reheat your chop in a very low oven (90C/200F) for about 10-15 minutes. It won’t be as nice and juicy as a freshly browned chop, but it will be perfectly edible.
Costoletta alla valdostana
Ingredients
- I veal or pork rib chop
- salt and pepper
for the filling:
- 25 g fontina cheese or another meltable Alpine cheese, thinly sliced
- 1 slice of cooked ham
- for the breading:
- all purpose flour as much as needed
- 1-2 eggs beaten
- breadcrumbs as much as needed
for frying:
- Vegetable oil
- A large knob of butter
Instructions
Prep the chop
- Trim off any fat or gristle from around the edges of your chop.
- Now, very carefully cut the filet in half heightwise almost but not quite all the way to the bone, so that it ppens like a book.
- Gently flatten each flap of the filet with a meat pounder with outward motion from the bone,, getting it as thin as you can manage without mauling it.
- Season the chop generously inside and out with salt and pepper.
Filling the chop
- Lay on a slice of ham and then a few slices of fontina, enough to cover one flap but leaving a perimeter around the edges.
- Close the flap and then very gently pound the chop once more to seal the two flaps together.
Breading the chop
- Lay out three shallow plates with flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
- Holding the chop with both hands and pinching the two flaps together, very gingerly dip the chop first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs, making sure that it is well covered on both sides each time. Press the breadcrumbs into the meat so it adheres well.
Browning the chop
- In a skillet large just enough to hold the chop, over medium-low heat vegetable oil enough to come up about 1/2 the height of your chop, along with a large knob of butter.
- When the butter has completely melted and ceases bubbling, gingerly lay in the chop. Sauté until it is golden browned on one side, about 5 minutes (or possibly more for a thicker chop), then turn it and brown the other side as well for another 5 minutes or so.
Serve
- Serve the chop right away, or keep warm until you’re ready to serve. Sprinkle lightly with salt just before serving.
Nutrition
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Interesting how the elimination of the ‘s’ can change the recipe into a boneless chop (i.e. (cotoletta alla valdostana)! This recipe reminds me of a dish I posted once called ‘Stuffed Chicken Breasts Saltimboca- Style’, using breasts stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese. Amazing how such a simple dish can taste so good!
Stuffed cutlets really are the bomb, aren’t they?
I prepared this last evening using veal rib chops. $29.99 per pound, oh my. But the last time I had a veal chop at a restaurant it set me back $65. Great recipe! So good. Mine did not turn out as picture perfect as yours after I gently flattened with my mallet, but it was wonderful. Served with asparagus, room temp, with a bit of lemon and EVOO. Thank you Frank for another good one!
I really don’t understand why veal is so darn expensive! It was never cheap but these prices are wild. Anyway, I’m delighted you enjoyed the recipe!
This costoletta alla valdostana had me craving a proper, indulgent cutlet, the kind that’s crispy outside and molten with cheese inside. Yum!!!!
Thanks, Raymund!
Oh geez, wrong time to see this! Right before dinner, I’m starving and we’re only having soup!!! I’ve never had this version, but will happily give it a try when I visit Northern Italy again!!!
Hehe! Definitely worth a try, Christina. Thanks for stopping by!
$33 for one chop!? I would’ve gone with pork, too! This sounds like a delicious comfort food meal – I’ve never made this one before, but from reading the post + recipe I am certain that I will love it. Sounds like a perfect meal for winter!
It really hits the spot!
Another one to try, Frank – this looks absolutely delicious and so comforting, with that crispy coating and melty cheese inside.
Indeed it is, Ben.
That looks so good! We were going to go over the mountains into Val d’Aosta from Chamonix but never made it. I really wanted to have fontina there!
That would have been a wonderful experience. Ah well, there’s always next time.
I have always found that refrigerating breaded meats and fish do, indeed, make for a much crispier final product. Mark and I look forward to trying this (probably with pork, too) — my butcher’s veal chops are priced similarly to yours!
Thanks for the tip, David! Makes sense since the air inside a fridge is quite dry. I do that with steaks, will have to try it with cutlets.
This chop looks absolutely delicious, i love how the meat takes on the flavours of the stuffing. Veal is ridiculously expensive here too. I’m going to look around for a veal chop when we return to Spain.
It’s too bad about the ridiculous price of veal. I wonder why!
oh wow $33 for a single chop? Eek. I don’t eat veal or pork but i love the idea of stuffing the cutlet!
It’a a winner, Sherry. And works perfectly with boneless chicken breast as well.
That looks splendid!
Thanks, Angie!
This sounds delicious, and since I can’t even find veal chops here I will be trying it with pork.
Hope you like it, Barb!
Oh! One of my old favourite recipes from the time it was still possible to buy veal in Australia! In a way, for ethical reasons, I do not mind . . . pork indeed makes a very suitable substitute! As usual you make it so simple-which means one has to follow the ‘rules’ absolutely perfectly 🙂 ! Love the way you just show salad as an accompaniment . . . absolutely all it needs 🙂 !
Yes, indeed, a green salad for me is the perfect accompaniment.
That sounds amazing and delicious, stuffed with ham and cheese and a crispy exterior!
Veal is usually quite cheap in Spain, but very expensive in the UK.
Interesting. I do wonder why the difference in price…
Glad you opted for Pork instead of Veal, Frank. Your supermarket prices sound as crazy as ours! Anyway, this looks absolulely delicious. Perfect comfort food for this cold weather!
Indeed it is, Neil. Thanks so much for stopping by!