Oh fried food…I love you so much which is why I know my treadmill so well.

This is one of those recipes that I take out when I have to feed a crowd on a budget. Giving a guest a piece of meat as big as their head usually makes them feel like they had a big meal but really you’re making a small piece of meat go a long way.

Another bonus is it’s very friendly for almost everyone, kids like it because it’s basically a simple fried food like chicken fingers (chicken tenders for those of you not in Canada). I add a lot of accompaniments like apple chutney and sour cream so guests can customize this dish however they like it.

Pork Schnitzel

2 Lbs or 908g Pork loin, cut into 4 oz medalions

2 cups All purpose Flour

2 Eggs, large

1 1/2 cups Milk

250g Seasoned Breadcrumbs

25g Lemon Pepper (I used Lawry’s)

 

Place each pork medallion between sheets of plastic wrap and pound flat with a rubber mallet or meat mallet.

Now you’ll need to set up a breading station, this is simply a three step process to bread anything. It is plain flour first, then an egg wash mixture and finally breadcrumbs that have been seasoned. To make this use three pie plates or large containers with sides. Add the plain flour to the first pie plate. Mix the eggs and milk together and add to the second pie plate and then add the lemon pepper and parsley to the breadcrumbs and mix well to combine and add it to the third pie plate.

Make sure you have clean hands and start breading. The principle is simple, take a wet pork and dry it off in the flour, lightly coat the pork with the flour and tap off extra. Then take the dry pork and get it wet with the egg wash by coating it completely in the egg mixture. Now the dry breadcrumbs will stick to it, simply lay the pork cutlet into the breadcrumbs and coat completely. Repeat for each cutlet and done. Place all cutlets on a clean plate, cover with plastic and place them in the fridge until needed.

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Once you are ready to fry these up, get a large, heavy bottom skillet ready to go on the stove with about 6 cups of vegetable oil, canola works well. Heat the oil to 340°F, add the pork and fry until golden brown. If the schnitzel browns very quickly, check the temperature of your oil and reduce if needed. Remove the schnitzel and finish cooking in the preheated oven on a parchment lined baking sheet. The oven is low enough that it will not brown the schnitzel further but will cook it to the correct internal temperature. Repeat with all cutlets until complete.

Apple Chutney

20g Vegetable Oil

60g Onion, diced

4g Fresh Ginger, grated or minced

2 Tsp Coriander, ground

4 Small apples, diced

1 Tsp Tarragon, dried

2 Tsp Mustard Seed

50g Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp Water

60g Purple Cabbage, diced

1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

Heat oil over med/low heat, add onion and sweat until soft for approx. 5 minutes. Add apples, ginger, coriander, tarragon and mustard seed and heat through to wake up the spices and soften the apples for an additional five minutes. Add vinegar, water and cabbage and cook to reduce for 15 minutes on low heat. When a chunky chutney is achieved, remove from heat and add parsley, stir to combine. Serve warm over pork schnitzel or other meats. Chutney can be pureed if a less chunky version is preferred.