Easy Pork Schnitzel

 

 

You may not know this about me, but I lived in Europe for the first four years of my life.  I was born on Prince Edward Island but my father, who was in the Canadian Forces, was posted to Germany shortly thereafter.

My mother and I made our way over to Germany arriving late on Christmas eve of the year 1955. My mother was tired and exhausted. Our luggage had been lost, and my mother had nothing to change me into, not even a clean diaper.

My father had rented rooms for us to live in over top of a German Gasthof.  This was not long after the war. People were still recovering in Germany. The kind woman who ran the Gasthof saw how very tired my mother was and took me under her arm, fashioning me a diaper from a torn sheet. She made sure I was fed and clean and took from their own dinner to feed my mother and father.

My mother never forgot the kindness of the German people to her, a young woman travelling outside her home country for the very first time in a strange land where she did not even know the language or customs.  She always spoke very fondly of them and of the food.  She especially loved Schnitzel!

 

I had Schnitzel in the Austrian Tyrol a number of years back when we were travelling there. It came to our table piping hot and delicious, the piece of schnitzel so large that it was hanging off the sides of my plate.  A huge plate of chips accompanied it.

I did not think I was every going to be able to make my way through it, but I did. It was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. The pork  was tender and juicy, the coating crisp and full of flavor.   And don't get me started on the chips!

 

This schnitzel recipe I am sharing today is not quite the size of that schnitzel, but it is every bit as filled with flavor. I borrowed the recipe from a page called You Wash I Dry.   It looked very simple and uncomplicated.  I don't think delicious food needs to be complicated.

I downsized it to make only two servings and it turned out beautiful. It was smaller than the one I had eaten in Austria, but every bit as delicious!

    WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY PORK SCHNITZEL

    This is very simple and uncomplicated. The idea of using Nutmeg in the breading had never occurred to me before. It was a delicious addition!

• Light olive oil for frying
• 2 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick, trimmed of any fat
• 3 TBS all purpose plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (NOT salt)
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 large free range egg
• a splash of milk
• 1/2 cup (60g) fine dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• lemon wedges to serve

 

Full disclosure here, I used pork cutlets that had been tenderized at the store.  They were boneless skinless porkchops that had been put through a tenderizing machine in much the same way as they make cube steak.

I still had to trim off the fat however.  This is important for several reasons. One, you don't want to be eating fat and two, the fat if not removed with cause the chops to curl up when cooking.

Use a good quality brand of bread crumbs. Or homemade dry bread crumbs. Don't use the ones which have been already seasoned with herbs or cheese.  You will be adding your own seasoning to them.

My late mother in law always used to dry the heels of her homemade bread and stale slices to make her own bread crumbs. I don't think she ever bought bread crumbs in her life.  There is no need to. 

With the advent of food processors, this is a much easier process than having to grind them by hand. Just leave your bread out lightly covered with a tea towel or paper towel until it gets really dry and then pulverize them in the food processor!

Because they are made with really dry bread, there is no moisture to create any mold. These homemade bread crumbs will keep almost indefinitely in a tightly covered container.

 

HOW TO MAKE EASY PORK SCHNITZEL

If you have everything set up ahead of time in a "breading station" this will go very quickly and easily! No fuss, no muss. 

Trim any fat off your pork chops and place them, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap or into a plastic baggie. Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, pound the pork chops until they are about 1/4 inch thick.

Place the flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper into a shallow bowl. Mix well together.

Next to that place the egg into another shallow bowl. Beat it together with a splash of milk.

Next to that place the bread crumbs and nutmeg in a third shallow bowl. Again, mix well together.

 

Working with one pork cutlet at a time, dip first in the flour, coating it well on all sides and shaking off any excess. Then dip it into the egg, again flipping it over to coat completely. Finally dip it into the breadcrumbs, coating completely on both sides. Repeat with the other chop, placing them onto a plate.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a 10" heavy bottomed skillet until hot over medium high heat. Add the chops and cook about 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. (Meat thermometer should register 140*F/60*C).

Sprinkle with a bit of salt and serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing.

 

This pork dish goes very well with a side salad and some potatoes or noodles, or chips.  In Europe they will often serve it with some gravy and Spätzle.   

If you are not fond of pork, you can use chicken or even turkey cutlets in its place.

Because I am trying not to eat too many carbs ( I know, it seems unbelievable) I had this with only a side salad and really enjoyed it.  Don't forget the lemon. It really does add a tasty touch! I froze the second one (well wrapped and labeled) to enjoy another time!

I don't eat red meat very often. They do call pork the other white meat, but to me it is always going to be a rare treat. As such I like to treat it special. Here are some other really delicious pork recipes that you might enjoy:

PORK STEAK WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY -  Tender and juicy pieces of pork, flash fried and then served with a lush and flavor filled fresh mushroom gravy. Quite simply delicious!

SHEET PAN PORK CHOP & STUFFING DINNER - Pork chops go very well with bread stuffing. This delicious meal combines the two along with some tasty side vegetables, all cooked together on one sheet pan. No fuss. No muss. Delicious.  And, if you line the sheet pan with aluminum foil, not a lot to clean up!

Easy Pork Schnitzel

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Tender and juicy breaded pork cutlets. These go together quickly and easily making for a lovely, stress-free weeknight dinner! All you need is some potatoes or rice on the side and a salad or a vegetable. Lemon wedges for squeezing are a must!

Ingredients

• Light olive oil for frying
• 2 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick, trimmed of any fat
• 3 TBS all purpose plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (NOT salt)
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 large free range egg
• a splash of milk
• 1/2 cup (60g) fine dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

1. Trim any fat off your pork chops and place them, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap or into a plastic baggie. Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, pound the pork chops until they are about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Place the flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper into a shallow bowl. Mix well together.
3. Next to that place the egg into another shallow bowl. Beat it together with a splash of milk.
4. Next to that place the bread crumbs and nutmeg in a third shallow bowl. Again, mix well together.
5. Working with one pork cutlet at a time, dip first in the flour, coating it well on all sides and shaking off any excess. Then dip it into the egg, again flipping it over to coat completely. Finally dip it into the breadcrumbs, coating completely on both sides. Repeat with the other chop, placing them onto a plate.
6. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a 10" heavy bottomed skillet until hot over medium high heat. Add the chops and cook about 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. (Meat thermometer should register 140*F/60*C).
7. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing.

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