Weiner Schnitzel, kraut, pomme frites, soft pretzel, and bavarian senf (Bavarian mustard)
My husband Ken and I have long enjoyed Munich as a place to relax, to eat good food and drink exceptionally good beer. This year after leaving Florence, thirsty for a tall Augustiner Edelstoff and wanting to show the kids the amazing Deutsches Museum, we spent several days in Munich. During the time there both kids discovered a love for Weiner Schnitzel.
Named for Wein (Vienna), this dish traditionally features veal and is fried using lard. I’m not a fan of using lard to cook with (okay, at Christmas when tamales are made in the Valley I don’t mind it so much…) and thus used butter as the frying medium.
Since this marks the last weekend of Oktoberfest in our beloved Munich, it seemed only appropriate to eat food from the homeland.
This was the first time I had prepared wiener schnitzel and found it to be much less labor intensive than I expected.
weiner schnitzel, garlic sausage, pomme frites, kraut, senf
Notes: I used my electric frying pan to cook the schnitzel.
I used veal which may or may not need to be tenderized (pounded).
While veal is traditional, pork, thin round steaks or even poultry escalopes can be used.
Some recipes specify that the frying fat (lard, oil or butter) should be deep enough to make the veal float. That’s not how it works in my kitchen. I used as little butter as I could manage and still have a nice golden brown coating for all of the pieces.
The basis for this version of the schnitzel comes from a general website about Vienna, there are a whole host of sites and recipes to choose from on the web.
Wiener Schnitzel
Ingredients
4 escalopes of veal (approx 120 grams each)
flour
2 eggs, whisked together with a fork
breadcrumbs (plain)
nutmeg
salt / pepper
butter (substitute veg oil or lard)
1/2 lemon
Directions
Tenderize by pounding veal to 1/4 inch thickness.
Season veal with salt and pepper, to taste.
Prepare flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls or deep dishes.
Add a dash or two of nutmeg to the flour and gently stir to mix.
Melt 4-6 tablespoons butter in a frying pan. (approximately 325 degrees)
Dredge veal in flour (shake off excess), then egg, then breadcrumbs.
Place veal into the hot butter (oil or lard) and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until the breading becomes dark golden brown. Place schnitzel on serving platter and squeeze fresh lemon juice once around.
Serve with kraut, potatoes (fries, mashed or German potato salad), pretzels and other German delicacies.
~Enjoy!
