Saturday night, I really don't care for cooking up a storm for dinner on the weekends but I really want to eat yummy food. A dilemma. With veal on the menu tonight I had to put on my thinking cap on how to turn boring old schnitzel into a yummy fast dinner.
Crumbing your own at home gives you much more scope for flavor and to experiment. It may be hard for some of you to believe but it is actually fun and it does not take as long as you think it would (crumbing yourself).
Speed of cooking will be the key to ensuring your lovely thin pieces of veal remain tender and ensuring you have a light egg mix will help.
I also make my own bread crumbs from my home made bread. Those tired dried powdery bread crumbs from the supermarket are just a no no to good cooking (in my opinion) and they don't quite give you the same finish as fresh bread crumbs. But, if you really have to they are a compromise - still better than eating out.
There was a little dilemma with this dinner. I planned to do duchess potatoes with it but, I had just one potato left. That is what I call lack of preparation. With the local shop just closed (that is in walking distance) and being conscious of the cost of driving to the local shopping center I had to look for an alternative. Only because my husband did a bike ride and was needing carbs otherwise I would not have bothered. So, I opened a pack of gnocchi. If you use bought gnocchi ensure it is vacuum packed and is no less than 80% potato - otherwise you will be getting just fillers and preservatives. It is out there. I get mine from a local fruit market.
So here is my version of tonight's veal schnitzel:
Ingredients:
2 thin but large slices of veal
2 thin slices of prosciutto (sliced fresh from the deli as it is not dry and rubbery)
2 cups of fresh bread crumbs with 1 tsp of dried mixed herbs or
2 tsp mix of fresh herbs from the garden finely chopped mixed through it
1 cup of plain flour seasoned with pepper
2 eggs with a dash of cream or milk (cream is my favorite)
Peanut Oil
Lemon juice
Method:
1. In 3 separate bowls add the bread crumbs, flour and egg mixture
2. Cut the veal into 2 or 3 pieces
3. Cut the prosciutto into pieces of about the same size as your veal pieces
4. Press a piece of the prosciutto onto each of the veal pieces
5. Dip each piece of veal into the flour then egg (don't throw away the left over egg mixture when you are finished)
6. Press the bread crumbs well onto the egged veal pieces
7. Lay the veal on a plate in a single layer and when all pieces are crumbed place in the fridge for 30 minutes
8. Use this time to prepare your vegetables
9. In a large fry pay pour enough oil to shallow fry, usually about 1/2cm of oil
10. Heat the oil until it is just smoking and pull of the heat
11. Turn the heat down to medium
12. Put the pan back on the heat and place your veal in the pan. Don't move the veal but swirl the pan slightly. When the veal moves in the pan it is time to turn it over. Don't over cook, your crumb should be light brown and not oily.
13. Place the cooked schnitzels in a warm oven and turn the heat under the pan to low
14. Take your left over egg mixture and pour it into the pan. It will be like a large bubbly omelette. Chop up a bit and turn over. Don't get too fussy.
15. Serve your veal schnitzels with your steamed vegetables. Place the egg on top of the veal and squeeze with a little lemon juice if desired.
