Grilled Veal Chops with Cherry Agrodolce
These Grilled Veal Chops with a Cherry Agrodolce are served over mashed potatoes and asparagus with the agrodolce sauce to finish the plate.

Grilled Veal Chops with Cherry Agrodolce

These Grilled Veal Chops are finished with a cherry ‘Agrodolce’ which translates to a sweet-sour sauce. The ‘Agrodolce’ is represented in this recipe with cherries, balsamic vinegar, and honey. This elegant grilled veal dish is an excellent balance of sweet and savory. This would be a great dish for a celebratory dinner or changing up take out Friday to a fancy Friday dinner party!
For a less fancy meal serve with a side of roasted vegetables or corn on the cob is an excellent side dish as well, especially during summer grilling season.
This recipe pictured here features a veal rib chop but a loin chop is just as delicious! Loin chops are also cheaper and easier to find in grocery stores. If you can’t find either cut in a grocery store, try ordering online and shipping right to your door. Veal cooking tips including different cuts, techniques, and prep & temp steps can be found on our cooking page.
If you had an unreal VEAL experience with this recipe, try some of these other grilled veal recipes as well.
Simple Grilled Veal Chops
Dijon Glazed Veal Chops
*This recipe was the Wisconsin State and National winner for the 2021 Collegiate Cooking Competition. Student Maja Holcomb developed this recipe alongside instruction Vicki Mendham at Nicolet Area Technical College, and they did a fantastic job!

Total Time:
90 Minutes

Serves:
4

Ingredients

Grilled Veal:

  • 4- 6-8 oz. Veal chops
  • ½ c. Olive Oil
  • 1 T Dried thyme leaves
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Ground black pepper

Cherry Agrodolce:

  • 1 T Olive oil
  • 1 Shallot, minced
  • 1 Garlic clove, minced
  • 2 c. Balsamic vinegar
  • 2 T Honey
  • ½ lb. Pitted Cherries, about 1 ½ c. (Dark or Red; Fresh or frozen and thawed)

Optional sides: 

  • 1 lb. Asparagus; ends cut, blanched, toss with 2 T olive oil and 2 t lemon pepper seasoning, grilled until light char.
  • 4-5 Russet Potatoes; boiled then whipped with ½ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. butter, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder.

Instructions

  1. Mix ½ c. olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub gently onto chops.
  2. Let marinate for 1 hour- or longer for an extra tender chop.
  3. Heat 1 T of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add minced shallot and cook until browned then add garlic, cooking for another minute. Pour in balsamic vinegar and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. At this point, you can either strain off the shallot/garlic mixture or leave it in for a heartier reduction. I strain the liquid off, right into the bowl of pitted cherries.
  5. Return the cherries and liquid to heat and add 2 T of honey. Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes, depending on your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool to room temperature.
  6. Heat the grill to high. Once hot, remove as much excess oil from veal chops as possible. Place veal on grill and do not disturb for 3 minutes, or until the meat naturally releases from the grill. Flip chops and cook for another 2 minutes until desired doneness is reached by using an instant read thermometer. Let the meat rest before serving with cherry Agrodolce.
  7. Serve chop set atop mashed potatoes and asparagus. Spoon about 2 T of Agrodolce sauce onto the plate and garnish with a few cherries each.