Wienerschnitzel

September 9: National Wienerschnitzel Day

We had met our guest chef, Lisa L., a German-American friend currently residing in Germany, while living in Oklahoma, where there are several country-style cafes serving hearty down-home cooking. When we visited each other, she made wienerschnitzel and Islander compared it to country fried steak (also known as chicken fried steak). However, Lisa used pork instead of veal/beef or chicken for this traditional Austrian-German comfort food. Many other cultures have their versions of fried, breaded meat cutlets (milanesa or tonkatsu) with sauces and gravies. We chronicled Lisa as she made wienerschnitzel so that we could post an authentic recipe on our blog for National Wienerschnitzel Day.

Recipe

(From Lisa L.)

Ingredients

• 4-6 pork or veal cutlets
• ½ cup flour (optional:  season with salt and pepper to taste)
• 1-2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup breadcrumbs (she used a German brand)
• oil for frying

Directions

Use a meat mallet to pound the cutlets to a quarter-inch thin between sheets of plastic wrap.  Dip each in flour, then in the beaten eggs and finally in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.

Fry in hot oil until both sides turn golden brown and the meat is cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Garnish with twisted lemon slices.

Notes

• Serve wienerschnitzel with kartoffelsalat (German potato salad). See guest chef Lisa L.’s adapted recipe on August 16 (National Potato Day).