Cotoletta alla Valdostana — Veal Chop Stuffed with Fontina and Ham

Valle d'Aosta — the cotoletta alla valdostana is a mid-20th century formalization of the stuffed and fried veal chop tradition, using specifically Valdostano ingredients (Fontina DOP, local prosciutto or speck) to create a regional version of the broader cordon bleu/cotoletta tradition.

Cotoletta alla valdostana is the Valdostano interpretation of the Milanese breaded chop — a bone-in veal chop butterflied and filled with Fontina d'Aosta DOP and a thin slice of Prosciutto di San Daniele or Speck, then closed, pressed to seal, crumbed, and fried in clarified butter until the exterior is golden and the Fontina inside has melted to a pool. When the chop is cut, the Fontina flows from the centre. The preparation is a refined version of the 'cordon bleu' principle, entirely rebuilt around Valdostano ingredients. It is found in every trattoria in Aosta and in the ski resort restaurants of the valley.

• Meat butterflied, stuffed with cheese and ham, crumbed and fried — the Swiss/French cordon bleu and the Valdostano cotoletta alla valdostana are structurally identical; the Valdostano version uses bone-in veal and Fontina d'Aosta specifically, giving it a distinct regional character → Cordon Bleu (Stuffed and Breaded Escalope) Swiss/French
• Bone-in veal chop crumbed and fried in clarified butter — the Milanese orecchio di elefante and the Valdostano cotoletta share the base technique; the Valdostano version adds the Fontina-prosciutto filling, transforming the Milanese tradition into a distinctly Alpine preparation → Cotoletta alla Milanese (Bone-In Fried Veal Chop) Milanese

Cotoletta alla valdostana cut open reveals the melted Fontina — pale gold, slightly stringy, fragrant with the mountain herb quality that only true Fontina d'Aosta possesses. The veal is tender beneath the golden, butter-fried crust; the prosciutto or speck adds a salty, smoky note that plays against the mild cheese. It is one of the most satisfying fried meat preparations in Italian cooking.