Wiener Schnitzel the Way My Father Makes It
When Freddy was still a little boy, he was already sitting on the kitchen counter next to his father. While his father was making Wiener Schnitzels, Fred made schnitzels out of his hands. Dip them briefly in the breadcrumbs, into the egg and oi, almoooooost into the pan too. Dad just managed to prevent that. But Fred remembered the family recipe, and now he is sharing it with us.
Freddy: ‘It isn’t exactly a Wiener Schnitzel, but it is better. Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally made with veal, but pork has more flavor. You want pork schnitzels from the top round of the pig. Now you have to make a bit of a fuss with your butcher: ask whether they can cut it across the grain. That means against the direction of the grain, which keeps it juicier. Ask for schnitzels weighing between 150 and 180 grams and about 1 centimeter thick, but certainly no thicker. A good schnitzel hangs over both sides of the plate like a fat guy with his elbows in a hot tub.’
Here’s how to make them:
- Put on a white shirt and grate the cooked red beets. Peel and finely chop the onion. Put the beets with the onion, sunflower oil, wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a pan. Heat everything and stir well. Remove the sweet-and-sour beets from the pan and set aside.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunky pieces. Bring a pan of plenty of water and some salt to the boil. Cook the potatoes for as long as indicated on the package, or prick them with a fork to check whether they are tender. Drain and let them steam-dry briefly. Finely chop the parsley and stir it through the potatoes together with the delicious knob of butter.
- Using a special schnitzel hammer (or saucepan), pound the meat between sheets of plastic wrap until it is about 1⁄2 centimeter thick. Season lightly with salt and coat with flour. Shake off the excess flour.
- Beat the eggs with the tablespoons of milk and a little more salt. Coat the schnitzels in the egg mixture and let them drain briefly. Then carefully coat them in the breadcrumbs without pressing them down.
- Heat the sunflower oil and clarified butter in a large, slightly deep frying pan to approximately 175 °C. You can test this by holding a schnitzel over it. If the breadcrumbs that fall into the oil immediately start sizzling and float, you’re good to go. Fry the schnitzels for about 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Halve the lemon lengthwise and cut it into wedges. Serve the schnitzels with the potatoes, sweet-and-sour beets and lemon wedges.
Title: Lekker Fred
Author: Freddy Tratlehner
Publisher: Carrera Culinair
Price: €25,-
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