Schnitzel and Spaetzle!!

I'll admit, this is something I've never made before. A coworker requested a good schnitzel and spaetzle recipe, so I happily obliged. Part of the reason I created this blog was to branch out a bit, try new things, and challenge myself in the culinary arts.

This seemed kind of intimidating at first (having never made it before), but it was surprisingly easy! The schnitzel was made the same way you make any kind of fried and breaded meat. Spaetzle I was worried about because I don't have a spaetzle maker. Don't worry, you don't need one! If you want perfectly shaped spaetzle dumplings, sure, go for it. I tried pouring the batter through a slotted spoon (didn't work too well). I got my best results from pouring a small amount of batter into a large funnel. I was exhausted after working all day, so I said "forget it" and just plopped the the last half of the batter in with a spoon *shoulder shrug*. A dumpling is a dumpling is a dumpling. Still tasted AMAZING.

Though I've never been to Germany, years ago we went to Austria and Switzerland. I'm not a sausage fan, so I survived on schnitzel, wienerschnitzel, and potatoes, and pretzels, and chocolate. Ah, memories.... Anyways, you really can't go wrong with any piece of meat that's been breaded and fried. This turned out amazingly tender and juicy, with a perfectly crunchy coating. The spaetzle is super simple - just a few ingredients, but it's silky and slightly chewy. The two together are a perfect pairing. Just add a cold beer of your choice and you're ready for the perfect, German meal!

This was one of those meals I literally couldn't stop eating, and you promise yourself just one more bite...but, you can't stop!

Guten Appetit!

Ingredients for Schnitzel

1 1/2 lb Pork chops (boneless)

1 C Flour

1 C Plain breadcrumbs

2 Eggs (beaten)

2 1/2-3 C Vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lemon slices/wedges

Chopped parsley for garnish

How to:

1. Trim the fat off your pork chops. You have two choices here, depending on how thick your pork chops are. Some boneless pork chops come in thinner slices. If that's the case, you can just pound it out with a meat mallet. Mine were pretty thick, so I butterflied them. I sliced them in half lengthwise - not quite all the way through, so it opens like a book. Place pork pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound out with a meat mallet. You want it pretty thin - about 1/4 of an inch thick.

2. Sprinkle both sides of your pork with salt and pepper.

3. Set up one dish with the flour, another dish with the beaten eggs, and a third dish with the breadcrumbs. Place a cooling rack over a sheet pan.

4 Dip both sides of one piece of pork in the flour. Make sure entire surface on both sides are coated. Shake off extra flour.

5. Dip pork in egg, making sure to completely cover both sides. Let extra egg drip off pork.

6. Place pork in breadcrumb dish, pressing down to ensure that every surface of the pork is covered in breadcrumbs.

7. Place breaded pork on cooking rack. This helps to keep the bottom coating from coming off before you fry.

8. In a large skillet, heat oil slightly over medium heat. It's good to go when it reaches 350 degrees. Or you can do what I did, and just dip a small end of the pork into the oil. It should start sizzling right away.

9. Fry about 2 minutes on each side. I usually check or flip mine a bit more frequently just to make sure I don't burn the breading. The internal temp of the pork should be 145 degrees. These are so thin, it really doesn't take long to cook.

10. Place fried pork on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. This lets the oil drain, and ensures a crispy bottom. If you place the fried pork on a plate or sheet pan, the heat causes condensation beneath the food, and it will get soggy.

11. Make sure to salt the pork right after frying while still hot!

12. The very best accompaniment with salty, fried food is citrus. A few drops of fresh lemon juice on the fried schnitzel just brings the dish to a whole different level.

Ingredients for Spaetzle

1C Flour

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 C Milk

2 Large eggs

2-3 Tbl Butter

1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg (optional)

Chopped parsley for garnish

How to:

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if using).

2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.

3. Add milk to dry ingredients and whisk.

4. Add eggs to milk and flour mixture, and whisk until combined.

5. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

7. Add batter to simmering water with either a spaetzle maker, slotted spoon, funnel, or just drop in small amounts of batter with a spoon.

8. Cook 2-4 minutes, until dumplings float to the top.

9. Use a slotted spoon to remove dumplings and transfer to a plate.

10. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add spaetzle in batches and saute about 1 -2 minutes until the dumplings pick up a small amount of color.

11. Sprinkle some chopped parsley for garnish if you want.