Jagerschnitzel with Bacon Mushroom Gravy
I lived in Germany for a year and a half while I was a teen, and although I was sullen, hormonal and a pain in the ass most of the time, I really did love the food. And the culture. And the people.
Okay, so I was really only a pain in the ass to my parents.
In any case, German food sort of feels like comfort food, because I learned to embrace it during a time when I definitely needed some comfort. This doesn't taste entirely like the real thing, but it was close enough.
from Guy Fieri, my notes in parenthesis
1 1/2 pounds pork loin, cut into 6-ounce portions
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons mustard
1 cup crushed unsalted crackers (I used bread crumbs here)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 diced yellow onion, approximately 1/2 cup
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1/4 cup red wine
Olive oil, for frying (I used a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil)
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (I omitted this altogether)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Pound pork slices between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. (I didn't do this, because I was pressed for time. Instead I just cooked the pork a few minutes longer) In a shallow medium bowl, mix together 3/4 cup flour with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. In another shallow medium bowl, combine egg, milk and mustard. In another medium shallow bowl, combine cracker and panko crumbs. Dredge pork slices first in flour, then in egg wash, and finally in crumbs. Let set on a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
In a medium saute pan over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from pan to drain on paper towels. In same pan with bacon fat, add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue sauteing for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Cook flour to make roux until light brown, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook for 3 minutes, reducing by 1/3, then add stock. Continue cooking to reduce by 1/3 again. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Heat 1/4-inch oil in thick saute pan or cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F. Cook pork evenly on both sides, about 5 minutes for the first side, 3 to 4 minutes for the second. Remove to platter when done. Add butter to sauce, stirring until it has melted. (I omitted this step, because I omitted the butter. I did add a little half and half to the gravy, though) To serve, cover pork with sauce. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and fresh parsley to garnish.
Okay, so I was really only a pain in the ass to my parents.
In any case, German food sort of feels like comfort food, because I learned to embrace it during a time when I definitely needed some comfort. This doesn't taste entirely like the real thing, but it was close enough.
from Guy Fieri, my notes in parenthesis
1 1/2 pounds pork loin, cut into 6-ounce portions
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons mustard
1 cup crushed unsalted crackers (I used bread crumbs here)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 diced yellow onion, approximately 1/2 cup
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1/4 cup red wine
Olive oil, for frying (I used a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil)
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (I omitted this altogether)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Pound pork slices between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. (I didn't do this, because I was pressed for time. Instead I just cooked the pork a few minutes longer) In a shallow medium bowl, mix together 3/4 cup flour with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. In another shallow medium bowl, combine egg, milk and mustard. In another medium shallow bowl, combine cracker and panko crumbs. Dredge pork slices first in flour, then in egg wash, and finally in crumbs. Let set on a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
In a medium saute pan over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from pan to drain on paper towels. In same pan with bacon fat, add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue sauteing for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Cook flour to make roux until light brown, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook for 3 minutes, reducing by 1/3, then add stock. Continue cooking to reduce by 1/3 again. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Heat 1/4-inch oil in thick saute pan or cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F. Cook pork evenly on both sides, about 5 minutes for the first side, 3 to 4 minutes for the second. Remove to platter when done. Add butter to sauce, stirring until it has melted. (I omitted this step, because I omitted the butter. I did add a little half and half to the gravy, though) To serve, cover pork with sauce. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and fresh parsley to garnish.
Comments
1. We used veal instead of pork, because that's what our restaurant uses, and because our local supermarket had veal cut and trimmed so that it required no further processing (except for the pounding, which we did do).
2. We used regular ground pepper.
3. We used diced fresh garlic.
4. We used heavy (whipping) cream instead of milk.
5. We used 2 cups of regular bread crumbs, because I don't like unsalted crackers and I wasn't in the mood to canvass the store for the Japanese crumbs.
6. My daughter's preference: 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in place of the wine.
7. Canola oil instead of olive oil. $$$.
8. Like you, we omitted the butter, put in our recipe the cream compensates for the loss.
9. It's not clear if the recipe calls for mustard powder or prepared mustard. We used the latter and it seemed to be the wrong choice. Next time we will either use the powder or omit the mustard altogether.
I have never, in more than 40 years of cooking, heated a frying pan full of oil in the oven. But I did it for this recipe, and the results were excellent.