My Recipe for Pork Schnitzel

Good morning, dear friends!  It's Friday again; my favorite day of the week!  We haven't had a Friday like this one here in a long while.  It's really chilly out there (feeling like 5 degrees Celsius or 41 degrees Fahrenheit); colder than it's felt since last spring!  It was a bit shocking to wake up to this because for the past few days, we've been dealing with summer-like temperatures and beach weather.  Many of us had to turn our air conditioners on again.  I am happy to announce that I have turned my air conditioner off, hopefully for good this time.  I am ready and waiting for my favorite season of all - Autumn! 

Look at the American goldfinches feeding in our yard this morning.  Can you see their plumage?  They are molting now - getting ready for winter and the journey south.  I will miss them when they go.  It won't be much longer now...

My reason for today's post is to share with you my recipe for Pork Schnitzel.  I made it for dinner last night.  It's a real favorite at our house, so I thought you might like to have the recipe too.  I will show you how I prepare it, step-by-step.

I cook for a family of four, and I like to make extra so we can have leftovers for my husband to take to work, and my girls to take to school.  This recipe makes twelve schnitzels; some bigger, some smaller - approximately six servings (two each).  You can half the recipe to make 3-4 servings. 

 Pork Schnitzel 

Ingredients

12 boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat, 1/2 inch thick

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup bread crumbs 

vegetable oil or avocado oil

Directions

A crucial step in making pork schnitzel is to tenderize the meat with a meat hammer or mallet.  This keeps the meat tender and thin enough to fry, so that the inside cooks through.

Step 1 - tenderize each piece by hammering it with a mallet on both sides untill it's approx.1/4 inch thick

Step 2 - sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the meat

Step 3 - set flour and breadcrumbs on two large pieces of parchment paper (so much easier to clean up) 

Step 4 - in a deep, shallow bowl, whisk eggs and milk 

Step 5 - completely dredge cutlet in the flour, on both sides, and shake off the excess so it is lightly coated all over

Step 6 - dip the floured cutlet into the egg mixture and coat both sides, allowing the excess to drip off

Step 7 - lay the cutlet on the breadcrumbs and dredge, making sure to completely cover both sides, pressing down with your fingers as needed

Repeat steps 5-7 for each cutlet 

Step 8 - fill a large frying pan with enough oil to fully cover the bottom. Heat oil over medium high heat until it is hot and ready for frying

In order to successfully fry breaded pork schnitzel, the oil must be hot enough.  Test a couple breadcrumbs first.  If they start to bubble, then the oil is hot enough.  

Step 9 -  LOWER THE HEAT TO MEDIUM LOW (a four or five mark on my stove) and fry the cutlets at this temperature for 2-3 minutes per side.  I usually fit two or three cutlets in the pan at once.  

I usually have to add a bit more oil as necessary, and sometimes I strain the oil into a glass jar, just to keep it free of any loose burnt breadcrumbs. Then I place the clean oil back into the pan and continue frying.  

I chose to fry my schnitzel in avocado oil because it is a healthier option than vegetable oil, but I find that the vegetable oil holds up better and keeps cleaner overall. 

Step 10 - be sure to place your fried cutlets on paper towels, in layers, to soak up the oil

Serve the pork schnitzel hot; with lemon slices for garnish

I stir-fried chopped cabbage to accompany the pork schnitzel  Dinner was delicious! Today, the girls brought leftovers to school in a bun.  

Thank you for stopping by!  If you try making the pork schnitzel yourself, let me know how it turns out!  Happy almost-fall weekend; with love from the kitchen! xoxo