Schnitzel

Haha, I think because of the restaurant Wienerschnitzel, people think schnitzel is going to be some sort of hot dog or sausage. I didn’t know what it was until my mission in Germany and Austria, then I had a lot of great schnitzel. I learned that schnitzel is really a breaded, fried cutlet of meat. “Schnitzel” kind of translates to small cut–like a cutlet. It’s reminiscent of chicken fried steak, made with either pork, chicken, or veal, depending on the geography. It’s not very flavorful, but it’s still a fun meal. This recipe is adapted from daringgourmet.com–she has lots of delicious German recipes.

I remember in Vienna, there was a restaurant that the missionaries called Herb’s–but it was really called Schnitzelwirt. It was like a rite of passage for an elder to finish the giant Wienerschnitzel and all the accompanying fries. I’m pretty sure I also did it–and I went back there with my mom when we went to visit. Traditionally schnitzel is served with fries and a lemon wedge–or maybe with potato salad.

If you’re making this gluten free, I have now made it with corn starch and Corn Chex crumbs–that’s the one in the photo. It turned out great, and I think I’ve heard that corn starch coatings make stuff nice and crisp.

Schnitzel

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min?
• Difficulty: medium
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Serve with fries and a lemon wedge, for a wonderful German/Austrian meal.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless Pork Steaks or Chops (you can also use chicken or veal)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. Flour combined with 1 tsp. salt (or gluten free flour or cornstarch)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (or gluten free breadcrumbs or Corn Chex crumbs)
• Oil for frying
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions

Place the chops under plastic wrap and pound until they’re 1/4″ thick. Lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour mixture, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Dip the chops in the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage. Be careful not to press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Gently shake off the excess crumbs. Don’t let the schnitzel sit in the coating or they will not be as crispy once fried – fry immediately.

Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough at this point (about 330 degrees F) as you don’t want the Schnitzel to sit around in the coating before frying. Use enough oil so that the Schnitzels “swim” in it.

Fry the Schnitzel for about 2-3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. Transfer briefly to a plate lined with paper towels. Optional: Squeeze a lemon wedge all over the schnitzel before eating.