A COUPLE BREADCRUMBS GO A LONG WAY

European Wiener Schnitzel

This somewhat time consuming, yet definitely worth it dish proves that the Europeans do it the best! It is a known fact that these crumbly golden-brown strips of heaven, accompanied by crispy deep fried mushrooms are just what you need in your life.

Typically, wiener schnitzel is an Austrian dish and is a popular part of Viennese and Austrian cuisine. Interestingly enough, however, the origin of Wiener Schnitzel is not Austrian nor German. The brilliant idea of tenderizing a piece of tough meat by pounding it is evident in the oldest relics of the history of man. Nevertheless, it was the Romans that left evidence of refinement of a thin slice of meat dredged in crispy breading and fried in the 1 century BC.

Wiener Schnitzel is such a mouth-watering dish in fact, that it started a culinary quarrel between the Hapsburg dynasty in Central Europe. Both branches of the family, Austrian and Italian, claimed credit for the invention of the dish, the latter branch tracing their claim all the way back to a banquet given in 1134 for the canon of Milan's St. Ambrosia Cathedral.

The term Wiener Schnitzel goes back to at least 1862 and is said that a famous Austrian general that spent much time close to Milan, introduced it. Europeans are so head over heels for this dish that the term Wiener Schnitzel is protected by the law in Austria and any dish called by that name must be made from veal.

Recipe:

Time: 1 hour 30 min (if refrigerating), 45 min - 1 hour (if not refrigerating)

Yield: 9 palm sized pieces of Schnitzel

Ingredients:

9 small pork or chicken breasts

6 slices of white bread 2 handfuls of salted cashew nuts 125 mL grated Parmesan cheese 125 mL chopped herbs (mint and parsley) Salt and pepper

4 eggs – beaten seasoned flour with just salt

mushrooms (optional side)

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients excepts egg and flour in a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.

2. Bread your choice of either pork, chicken, veal, etc., by repeating the following steps: dust meat with flour, dip in egg, dip in bread crumbs. The more times these steps are repeated, the thicker the crumb will be.

3. Place the breaded meat on an open tray and leave in the fridge for at least an hour (optional).

4. Fry.

5. For an optional mushroom side, repeat the same steps as mentioned above.

6. Plate and serve with slices of lemon, an onion and tomato salad, as well as tartare sauce (optional but recommended).

7. Enjoy!

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