Wiener Schnitzel - Chef's Choice

Serves 3+

 (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)


Contrary to popular belief, Wiener Schnitzel (Viennesian cutlet) is not a German Dish, but an Austrian one and, it is believed, to have its origins in Italy. Veal has been an important Italian and French cuisine since ancient times. It is often in the form of cutlets – a thin, tender cut of meat, usually from lamb, pork or veal, taken from the leg or rib section of calves. Cutlets (at home, we called them Koteletten) are best when cooked rapidly, such as sautéed, grilled or fried, like the Italian cotoletta or the famous Austrian dish Wiener Schnitzel. Veal is lower in fat than many meats.

If you behave yourself and not eat a half dozen of these, you may come away from the table still feeling human. This is a dish that is absolutely sinful, tender and just unspeakably delicious, filled with natural, mouth watering flavors.

The Austrian Wiener Schnitzel is made from tender veal, and that’s what was served at my mother’s table for years. Good veal has a delicate and sweet flavor. But because it became expensive in the 60’s, she started making this meal with pork. And while she cooked, there was always music playing.



Oh, what a delight!

I enjoyed both meats, but I always made them with pork, for my own family and still do today. While living at home, this dish was reserved primarily for Christmas. Every so often, she would also make them for special occasions – veal at Christmas time, pork otherwise. My brothers and I would argue about who could have how many and why.

The arguments were: My oldest brother should get more because he was the oldest, I should get more because I was the youngest. My other brother claimed he was the smartest. We let him believe that. My father kept control…he had the most. But, what he never knew, my mother always left some in the kitchen – hidden, for our school lunches in the brown paper bag. It was our secret and pretend upper hand over father. A secret kept for life. He passed away at 74.

And, if we were good, behaved, did as we were told and brought the brown paper bags back clean and neatly folded, she would slip us cold ones for a snack.

Oh, what a delight!

Today, my children tell me, “Hey Dad, we’re all grown up now; we can have as many as we want and at any time, not just Christmas!”

Last night, my daughter’s new baby of 6 months, ate Wiener Schnitzel with sweet potatoes and wanted nothing to do with her apples from a jar. Life is good!

Now, eat a reasonable portion, and let's get on our treadmills or walk briskly outside for 1 hour (3 miles).

Guten Appetit…!

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Ingredients

• 10-12 thin, boneless pork (max ¼ inch thick) or veal cutlets
• 6 medium red, boiling potatoes
• 1 medium chopped, yellow onion – optional
• 1 cup flour
• 2 fresh, large eggs
• ¼ cup cream - cold
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs – preferably fresh, homemade
• Sea salt
• Pepper – black, fresh ground
• 2 lemons - quartered

Preparation

Prepare the Potatoes:

• Quarter the potatoes and boil until done, but still firm
• Drain water and put back into the pot, add a ½ inch thick patty of butter and cover
• Alternate: If roasting, place quartered and buttered potatoes and chopped onions onto a baking sheet and into the oven on high broil for 10-15 minutes, gently turning several times until golden browned with a crisp outer layer

Tenderize the Chops:

• Meanwhile, trim all fat from the thin pork cutlets
• Tenderize each cutlet with a meat tenderizing hammer or tool, use the “tooth” side – on a board, pound one side and then the second, spreading out and enlarging the cutlet until it is thinned to a maximum of ¼ inch thick (I make them a pinch thinner)
• Pound both sides, turning them over and over 3-4 times
• If using veal, tenderize – using the same technique
• Sprinkle both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper
• Set aside on a plate, ready for immediate frying

Prepare Creamed Spinach:

• Prepare and time a packet of frozen creamed spinach to be ready for serving at the same time with the finished Wiener Schnitzel

Prepare the Breading:

• In a bowl (soup bowl size), place flour
• In a 2nd bowl, thoroughly whisk and blend eggs with cream
• In a 3rd bowl, place breadcrumbs

Bread the Cutlets:

• Dredge a cutlet in the flour, cover completely and shake off excess
• Dip cutlet into the egg-cream bowl and cover completely
• Place cutlet into the breadcrumbs and cover both sides, completely – do not press bread crumbs into the meat, this will result in soggy breadcrumbs
• Slightly shake off loose breadcrumbs
• Set aside on a plate
• Finish all cutlets the same way, production style and finish quickly

Finish the Cutlets:

• Have a large 16 inch pan preheated with hot vegetable oil – do not burn
• Oil should come approximately ½ way up the cutlet
• Oil should sizzle when a cutlet is immersed
• Fry approximately 3 cutlets at a time, 1-2 minutes per side – thin cutlets will finish fast and should be a nice golden brown. I pull mine when they are slightly pinkish on the inside, since they will continue to cook to completion while resting before serving
• Place them on a large plate lined with paper towels to absorb the oil for 1 minute
• Do not cover, this will make them soggy – cutlets should be crispy

Serve:

• Have guests serve themselves all sides (potatoes and spinach)
• I serve 3-4 cutlets at a time (after draining for 1 minute), depending how many are pulled from the skillet. This allows me to serve them hot…!
• Have each guest squeeze a slight amount of lemon juice on each Wiener Schnitzel
• Have each guest salt and pepper to taste

Laß es Dir schmecken...!