A recipe reVealed

Click to Enlarge Browse Vail Daily Photos Kelly Liken's veal chops with farro ragout will be offered as a special at the Vail restaurant next week. Kristin Anderson/Vail Daily Get Arts and Entertainment Feeds

Ted Alvarez
Vail, CO Colorado
September 4, 2007

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VAIL - For local foodies, it's no secret that we have a treasure trove of good eating in the Vail Valley - but as the secret gets out, little by little, we'll have to learn to share with the rest of the country. After all, it seems almost criminal to keep something as wonderful as Kelly Liken's pan-seared veal chops with farro ragout all to ourselves. Foodie bible Bon Apetit agrees, and they highlighted the recipe in their September issue of "Readers' Favorite Restaurant Recipes."


"I think of how lucky we are to be in Vail - (Bon Apetit) said that they had an overwhelming response of write-ins for us, and I'm thrilled and very proud of that fact," said restaurant chef-owner-namesake Kelly Liken. "People from all over the country and local people alike seem to have liked us. And Bon Apetit did such a fantastic job of translating the recipe so that anyone can make it at home."

Pan-seared veal chops with farro ragout

========== 4 servings 1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro* 1/4 drained capers 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 4 rib veal chops (each 10-12 ounces) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 6 tablespoons chopped shallots 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 1 cup low-salt chicken broth 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Cook semi-pearled farro in a heavy large saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to bowl. Add capers and pine nuts; stir in one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Farro can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand room at temperature. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle veal with salt and pepper. Add veal to skillet and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place skillet in oven and cook veal to desired doneness, about ten minutes for medium. Place veal on plate and tent with foil (do not clean skillet). Add butter to same skillet and melt over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme to skillet, saute mixture until soft, about 2 minutes. Add broth to skillet; increase heat and boil until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat remaining two teaspoons olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add farro mixture to skillet and cook until warmed through, about 4 minutes. Divide farro ragout evenly among four plates. Place one veal chop on each plate. Drizzle chops with sauce and serve. * Semi-pearled farro is available at natural food stores, Italian markets and specialty food stores. Reprinted from the September issue of Bon Apetit magazine. ==========

Bon Apetit published one fan letter with each recipe, and Vail local Kay Pitcher wrote in to say that Kelly Liken's "food and good service stand out above the rest."

"I ate there last February or March - I actually had short ribs and they were great, too," Pitcher said. "However, I did make the veal with the farro at home and it's excellent. But I'm going to just go in there and have it (at the restaurant)."

Until this week, Pitcher wouldn't have been able to sample the dish at the restaurant; Kelly Liken ran the dish as a special over most of last winter and hadn't planned to bring it back. But since Bon Appetit requested it, Liken plans to offer the seasonal-dish-that-could at her restaurant this week, as long as supplies last.

"Lot's of people who came over the winter really enjoyed it - it's my dad's favorite dish," Liken said. "But it was unexpected. I thought veal wouldn't sell well. One of the reasons I'm proud of the dish, though, is that it speaks to who I am as a chef. It's very simple, clean and there's not a whole lot of crazy intricacies to muddy it up."

Liken events

Sept. 13: Chalk Hill winemaker's dinner. Liken will prepare a custom five-course menu to pair with five wines from California's family-run Chalk Hill winery. $120 per person. Sept. 9 and 16: Live jazz at Kelly Liken with Tony Gulizia. Begins at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 1-Nov.15: Local appreciation specials. 50% off all menu items and selected wine and cocktails. Kelly Liken is open seven days a week from 6-10 p.m. For more information, call 970.479.0175 or visit www.kellyliken.com. ========

The tender veal chops are of course succulent and delicious, but the secret weapon of the meal is the farro, also known as unpearled barley. The nutty whole grain has a chewy, satisfying texture quite different from standard sides like rice or potatoes.

"I chose farro for a couple of reasons; it has a wonderful flavor - very nutty, roasty and earthy," Liken says. "I like to explore the use of whole grains. I feel like, in addition to elevating cuisine in Vail, I have to stand behind everything from a nutritional standpoint. Not from a diet food standpoint, but where everything I choose has value both with regards to nutrition and flavor."



Seasonal is better

Liken likes to use local, seasonal ingredients as the backbone of her restaurant - but she'll make an exception for this week's veal special. The house-made veal stock alone takes two days to prepare.

"It's more appropriate to winter, but it's not inappropriate to autumn, which is coming up - it's a 'warm your belly' sort of meal," she said. "But we're still teaching people that seasonal and local is better. You can't always get your favorite dish if it's not in season, but you'll try something new that can be just as good. Once (diners) see that, they're blown away by it and it brings them back again and again."

Liken and her staff are ramping up for the fall season in Colorado - she'll be digging in to local crops of spinach, currants and both chanterelle and porcini mushrooms. But she's also prepared to bring in a few new and daring ingredients into the fall menu.

"I have been able to get huitlacoche - also known as Mexican truffle," she says. The substance comes from corn infected by a fungus that has a woody, earthy taste similar to mushrooms. "I serve it with Alaskan black cod, avocado and cucumber relish and give it a fine-dining twist."

Liken thinks that Bon Apetit's test kitchen has created a recipe that retains the spirit and flavor of her veal dish while substituting some of the more difficult items to procure, like veal stock. And she has a few pieces of advice for would-be Kelly Likens at home who'd like to attempt to replicate the meal.

"Let go and relax - it's all about having fun, and it doesn't need to be perfect," she said. "There's a nurturing element to cooking; there should be a lot of love involved. As long as you're having fun and cooking for people you love, it doesn't have to be perfect."



Arts & Entertainment writer Ted Alvarez can be reached at 748-2939 or talvarez@vaildaily.com.



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