Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted 

 

Wiener schnitzel is a German dish that doesn’t contain any wieners at all.  Wienerschnitzel is also the name for a chain of restaurants, and they don’t serve wiener schnitzel at all. What’s with this wiener schnitzel thing, anyway?

The origin of  wiener schnitzel is attributed to Austria, and it’s made of very thin slices of veal that are breaded and fried. Some restaurants substitute pork in place of the veal, as it is not as costly. The pork versions come close to being what we call pork tenderloins but there is a difference in the breading and seasoning.

The Sherman House Restaurant and Inn in Batesville, Ind., is the only restaurant I know in the area that had wiener schnitzel on the menu.  The last time I dined there I had the wiener schnitzel and, as best as I can remember, I believe it had German-style red cabbage on the side.

It was announced in January the Sherman House was closed and for sale, so I’ll need to give you a recipe to make your own wiener schnitzel at home. I hope someone will buy the place, as it had great food and great history dating back to 1852.

 

1-1/2 pounds veal cutlets

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pinch (1/8 teaspoon) nutmeg

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup dry breadcrumbs

6 tablespoons butter

You’ll need to pound the veal cutlets down to about 1/4-inch thickness. I think a great way to do this is to lay a cutlet on a plastic bag on a chopping board, then lay another plastic bag over it. Pound with the flat side of a meat masher.

Dredge the pounded cutlet in flour.

Use a bowl in which to stir together the Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper and milk. Put the dry breadcrumbs on a flat plate. Dip each cutlet into the cheese and egg mixture and then coat both sides of the cutlet with the breadcrumbs. Put the breaded cutlets into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour – longer won’t hurt anything.

Melt the butter in a skillet using medium heat. Brown the cutlets on each side and lay on a serving plate. Pour the pan juices over the cutlets and serve.

Some restaurants deep-fry the breaded cutlets and give them room to move around in the frying basket. Turn them over in the hot oil to brown both sides. Two or 3 minutes may be long enough to fry them this way.

Readers with questions or comments for Dave Kessler may write to him in care of this publication.