Monday, November 19, 2007

Non recipe - Pork Schnitzel

Some dishes you really don't need a recipe for. This is one of them. The basics of Schnitzel - any kind - is that your chosen meat is pounded thin, seasoned, breaded and fried. I do not eat veal, so my preferred schnitzel is pork.

Last Christmas my office went out for big Christmas lunch at the Austrian Canadian Club in Calgary and I had the most fantastic pork schnitzel ever. It was so thin and so crisp I wanted to cry. Especially when my boss kept trying to steal bites off my plate.

It seemed like such a complicated dish to me; something you'd only eat out.

But why? When you think about it, it's pretty basic, isn't it?

Take a piece of pork tenderloin and cut it into rounds 1 1/2 - 2" thick. Place the rounds, one piece at at time, between two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper and pound until flat and thin.

Heat a couple of inches of oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Dip each piece of pork into beaten egg, then into breadcrumbs that have been seasoned with salt and pepper. Carefully place the pork into the pan and cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Remove, drain on paper towels and keep warm while you cook the remaining pieces.

Don't forget to squeeze fresh lemon juice over your schnitzel before eating!


4 comments:

Deborah said...

I have never had schnitzel before, but have seen it on quite a few blogs now. This sounds so easy - it would be a perfect weeknight meal!

Lis said...

Wait.

That's all schnitzel is?? Fried meat that's breaded & pounded thin? And all of these years I've been afraid because of the name! HAR! I would freakin' LOVE schnitzel. I'd probably like the pork kind the best to. Will definitely try this!

But why the lemon?

xoxo

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Isn't that the way of those home dishes that the people made for years, stolen by the famous chefs who make us think it's to hard with the fancy names or whatever mystic they weave around a dish and suddenly we get afraid to do it. Hooray Sara, Schnitzel is good!!

Sara said...

Lis...the lemon...I can't explain it. You just have to have lemon. Humor me.