Vienna is easily one of our favourite cities in Europe. I was first introduced to the Austrian capital through Richard Linklater’s cinematic gem “Before Sunrise”. A film that not only captured my imagination, but also piqued my interest in travel — long before I’d ever considered it myself.
Over two decades later, Kylee and I finally had the chance to visit. And while the city as a whole over-delivered more than I could have imagined, what truly stole our hearts was the food. The cornerstone of Viennese cuisine: the Wiener schnitzel.
Now, I’m no stranger to to this Austrian staple. Back in my days in the kitchen, I spent a year working in a German restaurant. Schnitzel being one of their most popular menu items, I’ve made thousands, and certainly consumed my fair share. However, something about the several we enjoyed in Vienna were different. Whether the quality of ingredients or simply the atmosphere of our historic surroundings, our visit rekindled a forgotten obsession with this simple but amazing classic.
Veal or Pork?
This recipe calls for veal or pork chops, as veal is the traditional meat used for Vienna-style (Wiener) schnitzel. Typically, however, we’ll use pork. I make this distinction because it was pointed out to us by a German traveller we met that substituting veal for pork technically makes this a German Schweine schnitzel. But the process and overall outcome are much the same. [and the hate mail begins…]
This is a schnitzel in its most basic form, aside from a little fresh garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice, you don’t really need anything more. However, schnitzels can be topped with almost anything. Popular options include mushroom cream sauce, ham and cheese, gorgonzola sauce, or fried egg and anchovies — my personal favourite.
Wiener Shnitzel
Ingredients
- 4 Veal or Pork chops Boneless
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 large Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Bread Crumbs
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- As needed Vegetable oil
- 4 Lemon Wedges
Instructions
- Finely chop and mash garlic with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Set a cutting board down on a damp cloth and lay down some plastic wrap on top.
- Place one chop on covered board and lay another sheet of plastic wrap over the pork.
- Pound pork with meat mallet, starting at the edges and moving inwards as it begins to flatten and spread out. Continue until the chop has flattened to a little under 1/4 inch thick.
- Fill one large shallow dish with flour and season with the salt and pepper.Fill another large shallow dish with breadcrumbs.Crack eggs into third bowl, add lemon juice, and beat.
- Pour about 1/4 inch of vegetable/canola oil into large deep frying pan, and bring up to about 350 degree F (or hot, but not smoking).
- Dredge each chop in flour making sure every bit of surface is coated. Move to egg wash and coat before doing the same in breadcrumbs.
- Carefully place breaded pork into hot oil. If it spits oil at you or is too vigorous, turn heat down. If the oil doesn’t do anything, turn heat up slightly and wait a couple mins before adding meat.
- Fry each chop individually for about 2 mins per side, flip over carefully (not to spray hot oil everywhere) making sure each side is golden brown.
- Remove from pan onto paper towel, rub with mashed garlic as soon as possible when still hot, serve with lemon slices or toppings of choice.
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Comments 2
Oh you guys, you inspired me to make some these weekend! I am a huge fan of schnitzel or rezen in Slovakia where I am from and I loooove it with a fresh potato salad too!
YEAY!! So glad we inspired yummy cooking! How did it turn out?