Schnitzel and Spaetzle

 Matt and I went to Hermann, MO for our Anniversary and had schnitzel and spaetzle at this little German restaurant.  Ever since then, we have been wanting to try making it ourselves.  It snowed this weekend, so we decided to have a German filled day.  We brewed beer, listed to German Folk Music, and made Schnitzel and Spaetzle!  



Pork Schnitzel

4 boneless pork loin chops
1 1/2 cups flour
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
4 cups plain dried bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs)
2 Tbsp olive oil
lemon wedges

Begin by placing each pork chop between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them out with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until they are 1/4 inch thick.

Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.  Whisk the eggs and milk in another shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.  Put the bread crumbs in a third dish and again season with salt and pepper.  

Lightly dredge each piece of pork in flour, then in the egg, and finally into the bread crumbs, pressing the bread crumbs onto the pork gently so they have a nice even coating.

Lay the breaded pork in a single layer on a plate lined with parchment and refrigerate, uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes to allow the coating to dry out a little and adhere to the pork. 

Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Gently lay the cutlets into the pan and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove to paper towels to drain.  Season with salt and transfer to a serving platter while still hot.  Garnish with lemon wedges.

We did not have a meat tenderizer so we used a hammer wrapped in a towel :)  There was also a lot of left over flour and bread crumbs-I will definitely use less of them next time.  

Spaetzle

1 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 gallon hot water 
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Mix together flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Beat eggs well.  Add milk and eggs to dry ingredients.  Mix until smooth.

Press dough through a spaetzle maker or a large holed sieve.  

Drop the spaetzle dumplings in simmering liquid.  Cook 5 to 8 minutes.  Drain well.

Saute cooked spaetzle in butter.  Sprinkle chopped parsley on top and serve.

We did not have a spaetzle maker or a holed sieve... so after a mini breakdown, we decided to come up with an alternative method of making little dumplings.  I ended up just using two spoons and scooping little pieces of the dough into the water.  It was more work, but it still tasted great.  I'm thinking I might have to ask for a spaetzle maker for Christmas. 

We also made a sauce from olive oil, butter, and lemon... yum!  This meal was delicious, we both loved it!  No left overs at our house :)

Schnitzel recipe from Food Network and Spaetzle recipe from Allrecipes.com