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1
To French the chops, first cut away as much meat and fat as possible from the last 2 inches or so of the bone.
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2
Clean the exposed part of the bone further by scraping with the back of the knife.
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3
To get the Frenched part of the bone really clean, grab onto the remaining meat and fat with a kitchen towel and pull it from the bone, leaving the Frenched part of the bone completely stripped.
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4
(You can reserve the trimmed meat and fat to use in the luganega sausages on page 240.)
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5
Place the chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound the meat with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/3 inch.
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6
If you find the chops arent thinning out, switch to the toothed side of the mallet for a few strokes, then back to the smooth side.
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7
Season the chops lightly with salt and pepper.
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8
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread out the flour and bread crumbs on two separate plates or sheets of wax paper.
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9
Beat the egg in a wide, shallow bowl until thoroughly blended.
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10
Dredge the chops in flour to coat them lightly and tap off any excess flour.
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11
Dip in the beaten egg and hold them over the bowl, letting the excess egg drip back into the bowl.
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12
Move the chops to the bread crumbs and turn to coat completely, patting them gently to make sure the bread crumbs adhere.
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13
Heat the vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat until a corner of one of the coated chops gives off a lively sizzle when dipped in the oil.
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14
Lay the chops in the oil and fry, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes.
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15
Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until no trace of pink remains near the bone, about 6 minutes.
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16
Meanwhile, prepare the salad: Toss the arugula, tomato, onion, and mozzarella, if using, together with 1/4 cup olive oil in a large bowl until the vegetables are coated.
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17
Add vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, and toss well.
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18
Remove the chops from the oven.
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19
If they look a little oily, drain them briefly on paper towels.
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20
Arrange one chop in the center of each plate and mound half the salad over each chop.
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21
Serve immediately.