When you find beautiful veal chops in your supermarket it’s hard to pass them by. But most preparations of veal chops involve labor-intensive sauces. Here, I’ve taken simple grilled veal chops and added a luscious wine sauce that’s full of mushrooms. Its delicious flavor comes not from a long-simmered demi-glace, but from a package of Hunter Sauce mix.

Since most home cooks don’t have time to prepare the stock reductions present in restaurant kitchens, using a packaged sauce mix and adding your own touches results in a sauce that comes close to those served in your favorite restaurants.

These veal chops are especially good served over mushroom risotto. Saving time on the sauce allows you extra time to prepare risotto from scratch, or you can simply simmer up some of your favorite risotto mix.

• 4 bone-in loin veal chops, approximately 1-inch thick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms*
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, about 1 large clove
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 1.25-ounce package Hunter or brown sauce mix
  

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and sauté 1 minute more. Stir remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the mushrooms until melted. Whisk red wine and Hunter sauce mix together in a small bowl. Add to the mushroom mixture, stirring and simmering until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes.

Grill the chops for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until desired doneness is reached. Place the chops on dinner plates and drizzle some of the mushroom wine sauce over the chops and around the plate.

Makes 4 servings.

*An exotic fresh mushroom mixture containing shitake, oyster, enoki, white button, cremini and portobello mushrooms was used for testing purposes. A combination of any of these mushrooms can be used in place of the prepared mixed mushrooms.