Schnitzel with boiled new potatoes and Brussels sprouts with bacon, all garnished with chopped parsley and a lemon slice. Courtesy photo

By Kathy Schick and Nick Toth, Archaeologists and Co-Directors of The Stone Age Institute

Passionate chefs, husband and wife Nick and Kathy have traveled the world, experiencing many rich cultures and cuisines. Recently, they embarked on a four-year culinary odyssey: Every weekend, they are cooking the national dish of one of the world’s 193 countries. 

For this fourth installment in Bloom, Nick and Kathy prepared Austrian schnitzel. Recipes for this dish date back to the 18th century, but breaded and fried meats were produced in ancient Rome and throughout the Middle Ages. One legend says that an Austrian field marshal, Joseph Radetzky von Radetz (1766–1858), brought the recipe to Vienna from Italy. The term “Wiener schnitzel” pays homage to the Austrian capital Vienna (“schnitzel from Wien,” the German word for Vienna).

Although veal is often used in this recipe, Nick and Kathy use boneless pork chops instead, having a similar texture and taste. (Chefs often can’t tell the difference between veal and pork schnitzel in blind tests.) This recipe also works well with chicken breasts.

SCHNITZEL: THE NATIONAL DISH OF AUSTRIA

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2-inch thick, trimmed of fat

Flour mixture (in one bowl)

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs, beaten (in a second bowl)

Bread crumb mixture (in a third bowl)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup of cooking oil (for sautéing)

1 lemon, quartered (to sprinkle on the schnitzel)

Directions

  1. Pound pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
  2. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet.
  3. Working quickly, coat each pork piece by dredging in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then:
  4. Dip both sides of pork in the egg mixture, then:
  5. Dip both sides of pork in the bread crumb mixture to coat evenly, then:
  6. Place each pork piece in the skillet until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side.
  7. Remove schnitzel to a plate, salt lightly. 
  8. This dish is well-paired with a reisling wine and a Johann Strauss waltz.