Wiener Schnitzel

 

Below is an article about the dish known as Wiener Schnitzel:

WIENER SCHNITZEL

For years, I have been a fan of the American dish known as Chicken Fried Steak. Recently, I discovered that the latter was a deviation of the earlier dish, Wiener Schnitzel. Unlike the Chicken Fried Steak, Wiener Schnitzel originated in Europe and the schnitzel or thin sliced meat consists of veal, instead of beefsteak.

Many people believe the dish had originated in Austria or Germany. To my surprise, I discovered that the dish may have originated in Italy - Ancient Rome, to be exact. Food historians discovered a recipe for a dish consisting of tenderized meat coated with breadcrumbs in the famous cookbook, Apicius, which dates back to the 5th century. Naturally, the Romans brought this dish north to the Germanic countries during their many war campaigns.

By the Middle Ages, veal became a popular choice of meat in Northern Italy and Austria. Wiener Schnitzel and its Italian counterpart, Cotoletta Milanese, involved two Hapsburg domains in a culinary quarrel. Both branches of the Hapsburg family - Austrian and Italian - claimed credit for the invention of the dish. The Italian branch traced its claim all the way back to a banquet given in 1134 for the canon of Milan's St. Ambrogio Cathedral. The name Wiener Schnitzel was first mentioned in a cookbook from 1831. In the popular southern German cookbook by Katharina Prato, it was mentioned as eingebröselte Kalbsschnitzchen (roughly, "breaded veal cutlets").

The dish is prepared from veal slices that are butterfly cut in 4 mm (3⁄16 in) in thickness and lightly pounded flat. The cutlets are then slightly salted before rolled in flour, whipped eggs, and bread crumbs. The bread crumbs must not be pressed into the meat, so that they stay dry and can be "souffléd". Finally the Schnitzel is fried in a good proportion of lard or clarified butter at a temperature of 160–170 °C (320–340 °F) until it is golden yellow. The Schnitzel must swim in the fat, otherwise it will not cook evenly, because he fat cools too much and intrudes into the bread crumbs, moistening them. During the frying, the Schnitzel is repeatedly slightly tossed around the pan. Also during the frying, the fat can be scooped from the pan with a spoon and poured onto the meat. The Schnitzel is cooked after it turns golden yellow or brown.

Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally served in Austria with Butterhead Lettuce tossed with a sweetened vinaigrette dressing. Optional side dishes include chopped chives, chopped onions, potato salad, cucumber salad, or parsley potatoes. In earlier days, the garnish for the Wiener Schnitzel consisted of capers and anchovies. Nowadays, a lemon slice and parsley are more commonly used as a garnish.

Below is a recipe for "Wiener Schnitzel" from The Spruce Eats website:


Wiener Schnitzel

Ingredients

*4 (5-ounce) veal cutlets (or chicken or pork cutlets)
*1/4 cup all-purpose (or brown rice flour)
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*2 large eggs, well beaten
*1/2 cup breadcrumbs
*Oil or lard, for frying
*4 slices lemon, garnish


Preparations

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Place the cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap, and use a heavy, flat-surfaced pan, rolling pin or meat mallet to pound the meat evenly to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. To bread the schnitzels, set up 3 shallow dishes: Mix the flour and salt in the first dish, the beaten eggs in the second dish, and the breadcrumbs in the third dish.

4. In a large skillet, heat at least 1/4-inch of oil to 350 F. This takes about 8 minutes and the oil will just start to shimmer and smoke a bit.

5. Working one at a time, dredge cutlets first in flour until the surface is completely dry.

6. Dip in egg to coat, allow the excess to drip off for a few seconds.

7. Then roll quickly in the breadcrumbs until coated. Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat, as this will moisten them and not make for a crispy coating. The crust should not adhere completely but form a loose shell around the schnitzel.

Immediately place meat in the pan with the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Cook the schnitzel in batches, if necessary. Fry the schnitzel for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until golden brown. Make sure the breaded meat “swims” in fat. Contrary to instinct, the breading will take on less oil than if the meat is sticking to the pan. Also, the breadcrumb topping has a chance to puff up a little, and your cleanup is easier. You may want to swish them around a little with your fork to make sure they are not sticking to the pan.

Turn them over once and fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and the meat registers an internal temperature of 145 F. Remove from pan and allow the oil to drain off. Serve in the traditional manner with lemon slices.


Tips

*As with many simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients is what will make or break your experience. Buy the best quality meat and ingredients that you can afford.

*Even if you can buy or cut a very thin cutlet, it's important to pound your meat before breading. In addition to making meat thinner, pounding meat also tenderizes it.

*Avoid old oil or less-than-perfect meat and watch your schnitzel carefully to avoid burning.

*While Wiener schnitzel is a dish best eaten right after cooking, many people enjoy turning leftover cutlets into a sandwich. Once cool to room temperature, refrigerate the schnitzel in an airtight container; reheat gently and eat it within three days.