Das ist einige gute Schnitzel!!

My pappy and momma2 just took off for an 18 month mission for our church to Germany.  This is an awesome thing...  My father's main genealogical heritage is German and parts of my momma2's heritage on her mother's side...German.  I used to be able to talk to them every Sunday night when they were still in Minnesota, so as you can imagine I am having a bit of a withdrawal problem right now.  

What do I do when I miss someone?  I cook for them!  I decided that if I were visiting them in Weisbaden, we might be eating some Schnitzel with Jager Sauce & Serviettenknoedel for dinner at some point.  So, that is what I made for dinner...

A little background on schnitzel...  Most people think "Weiner Schnitzel" when they hear "schnitzel".  But that particular dish is Austrian and made with veal.  I typically don't eat baby cow...  Most of the schnitzel you'll get in Germany these days are made out of pork.  In some cases you'll have modified meat versions, like Jagerschnizel....that is usually made out of wild boar or venison and served with a wonderful white wine mushroom gravy.  There is Naturschnitzel...which is not breaded with bread crumb and what I have seen the MOST from German cooks.

I decided to make two Naturschnitzel and two breaded Schnitzel and since any schnitzel is usually served with a sauce/gravy I decided to use the gravy from the Jagerschnitzel when I made this, skipping the sour cream in the recipe.  It gives you a rich, complex flavor in the gravy without much work.  The wine reducing does all of the work for you.  Then, the Serviettenknoedel...this is really just a giant bread dumpling roll that you steam then slice into rounds.  You can either eat them at that point or fry them in a pan for a couple minutes.  I fried mine.

You will need to make the Serviettenknoedel and get it into the fridge to set before you do anything else.  It has to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour after it is rolled up.

Serviettenknoedel

8 c. cubed bread, baguette or vienna rolls

3 eggs, beaten

4 bacon strips, cooked

1 c. unsweetened soy milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 T. parsley, finely minced

2 T. butter or olive oil for frying option

Fry Bacon and set it aside to cool.  Heap your bread cubes into a large mixing bowl.  Lightly beat the eggs then mix eggs, milk, nutmeg, parsley and salt together.  Wash your hands, pour the egg mixture over the bread crumbs then, blend and mash the bread into the egg slurry.  Mash until everything is evenly moist.  Be sure to mash or remove any dry pieces in mixture.  Dice your bacon strips finely and sprinkle onto mixture and knead the bacon into mixture until evenly distributed.  Form the mixture into tightly-packed loaf, 2-3 inches in diameter.  Wrap loaf tightly in tin foil or a clean, thin dish towel and set it in the fridge to set for 1 hour.  Then, tip a heavy bowl upside down inside a large pot; place a small plate on top of the bowl, fill it halfway with water, and bring to boil.  Set the dumpling roll/rolls onto the plate and cover.  

 
Allow to cook/steam for 30 minutes then, lift the roll/rolls from pot and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.  Carefully unwrap dumpling roll/rolls, slice and serve; or slice and brown both sides in a hot skillet; then serve.

Schnitzel
4 center cut, boneless pork cutlets
1 c. flour
fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt
3 eggs, beaten
2 c. unseasoned bread crumbs
fresh parsley for garnish
olive oil for frying

The first step to this to pound your cutlets.  Whatever you do, make sure you don't make them thinner than a 1/4 inch.  Ours were still moist and fabulous at this measurement.  I started out using my marble rolling pin but soon discovered the cutlets can just as easily be pounded with the side of a closed fist.

At this point you'll have to decide what direction you are going with your schnitzel.  Like I said, two cutlets were made natural, just being dredged in a light coating of seasoned flour.  Then two were dredged in the seasoned flour, then beaten egg and coated in bread crumb.  Either way, after coating, when the pan is heated for frying, gently lay them into the pan with tongs.  Fry on each side for about 4 minutes.  As they cook, put them on an oven safe plate and stick them in a heated oven, about 200 degrees.  It won't cook them any further...just keep them warm until it is time to plate the food.

Jager Sauce/Gravy

2 T. olive oil

1 lb. of button mushrooms
1/2 c. dry white wine

1 large white onion

1 1/2 c. sour cream, optional

salt and pepper to taste

Peel onions and slice them into rings.  Clean your mushrooms and cut them into half. (I left the mushrooms out because the Mister isn't a fan...)  Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Sauté the mushrooms and onions in until onions are golden brown, then add the white wine.  Reduce the heat to low, then if you are using it, stir the sour cream into skillet mixture.  Salt and pepper your sauce to taste.  Cover and leave on low heat until you're ready to serve schnitzel.

Schnitzel with Jager Sauce & Serviettenknoedel

 This was some pretty awesome food!  We both ate breaded schnitzel with our serviettenknoedel.  The gravy ended up being a bare bones, basic white wine and onion gravy because I left out the sour cream and the 'shrooms.  It was still fabulous!  It did feel a bit heavy working through the whole schnitzel with fried bread dumplings as a side dish...but I couldn't stop eating it!  It was super moist on the inside and perfectly crisped on the outside, even after slathering the gravy on top.  We're trying the Naturschnitzel tonight and I have a feeling that these will be just as awesome.  

For a little taste of Germany in your own home, try this meal out on your family.  I truly believe it will become a regularly requested meal, especially in the cold, dark calendar months.  Genießen!