When presented with two less than stellar-looking pork chops from a Costco pack that were deemed unsuitable for stuffing or grilling, my husband resorted to plan B: debone and butterfly the chops to make schnitzel (yeah!). Schnitzel is one of my favorite dishes, going way back to our trip to Vienna many years ago. I still dream of the incredible schnitzel we had in a small, dark tavern where each table had a little wooden pegged holder of warm, homemade pretzels that we gorged ourselves on while we waited for our meal. Must go back some day!
Of course, in Austria schnitzel is primarily made with veal, but pork is a very good substitute. What’s not to love - it’s crispy, slightly salty, and the leftovers (if there are any!) make fabulous sandwiches the next day.
We used this recipe from the NY Times, and it did not disappoint. We also made the quick pickles from the same article and they were a terrific addition. Mr B (because he can never leave well enough alone, thankfully), also fried up some very thin (mandoline-cut) onions to add to the dinner.
You can buy pork cutlets almost anywhere so you don’t have to go through the deboning, butterflying process, but you will need to pound the cutlets very, very thin (don’t skip that step!).
As suggested in the article, a cold, crisp gruner veltliner or riesling is the perfect wine for this meal. I just happen to keep a supply of nice rieslings in my wine stock so that’s what I used and it was excellent. But you could also use a sauvignon blanc, or even a Soave. As noted by the NYT wine guru, Eric Asimov, champagne goes great with fried foods, so there’s that.
Have a great week! Let me know if you make this dish and how you liked it!
Be well!
