I know the sun is out and we are all jumping at the chance to use our grills.  But I wanted to get this breaded pork recipe onto the blog before I really start pumping out some summery recipes.  You’ll thank me when you planned on grilling some pork chops or a pork tenderloin one evening and a summer storm moves through town and keeps you indoors.

The most important lesson I’ve learned about cooking breaded meat is that you should always follow a strict regiment of flour -> egg -> breadcrumbs -> rest in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.  This is the sure fire way to success. Letting the breaded meat rest is extremely important in order for the breading to solidify and stabilize before you start sautéing.  If you’ve been frustrated in the past with the breading falling off the meat while sautéing, you probably haven’t let it rest long enough.

This recipe is versatile enough to handle any meat or even a hearty filet of fish (for fish, I would eliminate the sour cream and nutmeg and just add a tablespoon or so of milk or water to the eggs).  You can certainly alter the type of hard cheese you use in the breading or eliminate it all together.  You could add fresh herbs to the breadcrumbs (make sure they are dry enough so that they don’t add moisture to the breadcrumbs).  My kids loved this dish. Most kids seem to love breaded meats — to a kid, Pork Schnitzel is just a gussied up version of chicken fingers so I’d bet on the fact that they’ll love it!

Pork Schnitzel (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

salt and pepper

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 cups panko (or regular breadcrumbs but panko is preferable)

1/2 – 1 cup grated hard cheese, such as parmasean

4 pork loin cutlets, lightly tenderized to 1/4 inch thick (or 1 pork tenderloin sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices)

canola oil

garnishes: lemon wedges, capers, fresh parsley

Directions:

Use three flat containers big enough to hold one piece of pork at a time.  In first container, add flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper.  In second container, whisk together eggs, sour cream, nutmeg and another good pinch of salt and pepper.  In third, mix together grated cheese and panko or breadcrumbs (can add a touch of paprika).

Dip each piece of pork in flour, shake off excess flour.  Dip in the egg mixture and drain off the excess egg.  Finally, lay the pork in the panko/cheese mixture and coat it well.  Shake off excess breadcrumbs and put it on a platter in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.  This will help it dry out a little.

Heat canola oil in a big frying pan over medium heat.  Should be hot enough that a pinch of breadcrumb sizzles on contact.  Place one piece of pork in the pan.  Cook three minutes on each side or until golden brown.  The pork should maintain a steady sizzle during the time but if getting too brown, turn heat down slightly.  Transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil and season with salt and pepper.  Repeat with remaining pieces of pork.

Place in a low heated oven until serving.  Serve with lemon wedges, capers and fresh chopped parsley.

Recipe adapted from The Seasoned Farmhouse.