This is an age-old recipe handed down to me from my German ancestors. It has been passed along to the first-born son for sevaral generations. It is generally kept in a rough-hewn oak box. Not even the rest of the family is privy to it.
Okay, you know what, let's cut the bull. I'm from German ancestry, but when your family has been here for 300+ years, you can probably start calling yourself an American.
I first had this recipe at 17 when I went to Germany for a three-week study tour. While it is usually made with veal, you can substitite pork (like I do) if availability or your moral code steers you in a different direction.
Honestly, this is one of those easy rib-stickers - it reminds me so much of southern food that I added it to my repertoire. German food is not about glamor - it's about filling your tummy! While on the outside it looks like this kind of food will help you easily double your weight, Germans are surprisingly lean compared to a native Georgian (of which we're not so proud).
The focus tonight is more on the spaetzle than the schnitzel. Spaetzle is the staple starch of southwestern German cuisine. Officially, you should complete the triumvirate with saurkraut, but I'm not sure how to do that yet. And since I've loved this dish since my first bite in Lorch (call it a suburb of Stuttgart), I figured you might like to give it a chance! How about that recipe?
Spaetzle
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. butter
Schweinefleisch Schnitzel (the part with the pork chop)
2 boneless pork chops
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. fine bread crumbs
vegetable oil or shortening for frying
lemon wedge
The Greens
1 tbsp. butter
10 stalks of asparagus
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
 |
Let's start with the spaetzle. The first 5 ingredients can be mixed together in a bowl. You may have to tweak the amount of flour/milk in this recipe. Your target consistency is that of pancake batter. Once that is reached, pour the mixture into a colander over a pot of boiling water. The noodles don't take any time at all to cook. By the time you've cleaned your mixing bowl and colander, you can strain and rinse them in cold water and set them aside.
The asparagus are easy to work with. I trim off about an inch of the base and cut the stalks in half. They merely need to be tossed around in a skillet for a few minutes in butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper.
The fun part of this recipe is the tenderizing of the pork chops. Imagine your ex-girlfriend/boss/guy-that-cut-you-off-in-traffic, etc. - that will come in handy here. Place the pork chops between a couple of sheets of plastic wrap and beat them with a mallet. If you don't have one, use the bottom of a pan, and go at it like you're the guilty party on an episode of CSI. Apply salt and pepper, coat with a beaten egg (allowing any
excess to run off), and toss around in the bread crumbs. Set the coated pork aside.
Heat the vegetable oil or shortenting in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the pork chops for a few minutes on each side. That's about all it takes. In a separate skillet, bring a tablespoon of butter to medium heat and toss around the spaetzle. Once it's hot, you're ready to plate everything up.
Give your lemon wedge a good squeeze over everything and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment