Since I started this blog, almost a year ago, I promised to show you the recipe for a perfect „Wiener Schnitzel“ ( German for „Viennese schnitzel“). Many varieties are possible and served around the world. But they are not original Wiener Schnitzel’s. Even in Vienna you will find many different ways to make and sell Wiener Schnitzel.
Wiener Schnitzel served with greens or french fries.
The original Wiener Schnitzel is a very thin, breaded and pan fried cutlet made from veal. It is one of the best known specialties of Viennese cuisine. The Wiener Schnitzel is the national dish of Austria. Lets just call it „Schnitzel“ in the following post.
After walking 18 holes of golf: Shoes off, Schnitzel and beer, what’s better ?
How to roast a juicy and crispy original „Wiener schnitzel“ ?
Schnitzel, outside crispy inside juicy.
The little tricks while preparing a breaded Schnitzel.
Ingredients.
This time I won’t leave a list of ingredients, because you can easily read it out of the next part „how to do“. Most important is the meat.
The dish is prepared from butterfly cut of veal, about 4 mm thin. This is sometimes hard to get. Alternatives see under „tips“.
Wonderful fresh veal cutlets. Sadly not available in UY.
To get the schnitzel tender, it must first be tapped with a mallet. Best is to place the meat between thin plastic wrap.
By tapping to loosen the fibers of the meat and make it pliable, an absolute prerequisite for success. Now more season with salt and pepper.
Wiener Schnitzel and a cool beer or a glass of wine are always good companions.
How to do.
The flowering:
On a plate mix about 120 g flour with a teaspoon of salt, some pepper and spices (not original, but it gives a bit of additional flavor) are stirred well to taste.
The egging:
On another plate mix an egg, a hefty pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil, a teaspoon of mineral water (with gas) with a fork. Vigorously to form a homogeneous airy liquid.
The breading:
On a third plate make a mix of breadcrumbs and some herbs if you like. The original Wiener Schnitzel is just made with plane flour, egg and breadcrumbs ! This is the classic panade of course, if you like it more crunchy, use, crashed and mixed in, corn flakes.
Turn the Schnitzel’s first in flour, then in egg and then in the breadcrumbs until they are well coated on all sides with all the trimmings. Put the pieces of meat side by side on a plate and allow to dry for about 1/2 hour in the refrigerator. Then turn around and leave the other side also dry for about 1/2 hour. Thus dried, the breading for frying will be much crispier. The bread crumbs must not be pressed into the meat, so that they stay dry and can be „souffled“.
The right temperature and slow cooking.
Finally the Schnitzel is fried in a good proportion of lard or clarified butter at a temperature from 160 to 170 °C until it is golden yellow. This is the origin, we use top quality olive oil for this step. The Schnitzel must swim in the fat, otherwise it will not cook evenly; the fat cools too much and intrudes into the bread crumbs, moistening them.
We like a few small cuts rather then one big one.
During the frying the Schnitzel is repeatedly slightly tossed around the pan. Also during the frying, fat can be scooped from the pan with a spoon and poured onto the meat. The Schnitzel is done after it turns golden yellow or brown. Take them out the fat and let them drain on kitchen paper for a minute. Serve hot immideately.
Aside „Spaetzle“ and a creamy mushroom-caper sauce.
Tips.
How you serve your Schnitzels, just with a slice of lemon or with a big portion of side dishes, is your personal decision. There are many kinds of possibilities.
Northern German, with an egg and anchovies.
A popular variation is made with pork instead of veal, because pork is cheaper than veal (usually about half the price). To avoid mixing up different products, the Austrian and German food committees have decided that a „Wiener Schnitzel“ must be made of veal. A Schnitzel made of pork can be called „Schnitzel Wiener Art“ (Viennese style schnitzel) or „Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein“ (Viennese schnitzel from pork).
Southern German, with „Spaetzle“ and Beetroot salad.
Similar dishes to the Wiener Schnitzel also include the Surschnitzel (from cured meat), and breaded turkey or chicken steaks. Similarly prepared dishes include the cotoletta alla milanese, the Schnitzel Cordon bleu filled with ham and cheese and the Pariser Schnitzel.
The above four pics show some restaurant deliveries. They are just ugly.
Not appetizing at all – and they should be fined and not served !!!
The American chicken-fried steak is often said to be closely related to Wiener Schnitzel, the result of the adaptation of the recipe by German or Austrian immigrants to the Texas Hill Country and to local available ingredients.
Some restaurants, from Vienna to Sydney and from Munich to New York serve these „BIG Schnitzel’s“. They have to hang over the plate and they are good tourist fun. But think – they can’t be a natural cut – so, they are made like the chicken nuggets are made !
Much better, original with peas and baked potatoes.
In Uruguay we use the „Milanese“ cuts from beef. But ask your butcher to let the trough the „Milanese machine“ twice. You don’t have to bash them at home then. The pork meat won’t go through this machine, you still have to use your mallet.
How about this one, with crawnberry sauce ?
Or this one with delicious potato salad ?
The Classic, with fries, ketchup and mayonnaise.
And finally a appetizing plate with Schnitzel, young potatoes, white asparagus and Sauce Hollandaise. But, make your own, it’s easy and you know now how to do. Getting hungry ?
