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Schweineschnitzel (Pork Schnitzel)
Schweineschnitzel (Pork Schnitzel)
Not to be confused with the Austrian weinerschnitzel(made from veal), schweineschnitzel is the quintessential German dish made out of pork. The word schnitzel itself means thinly pounded, breaded, and fried meat. Pork schnitzel needs to be pounded with a food mallet no more than 1/4” thick so that the pork can cook all the way through while maintaining a golden brown breadcrumb crust.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- food mallet
Ingredients
- 2 8oz boneless butterflied pork chops
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Using a food mallet, hammer down the pork chops on both sides until they are no more than a 1/4” thick.
- Season the pork chops on both sides.
- Lightly dust each side of the pork chops with flour.
- Dip the pork chops in the beaten eggs.
- Dredge the pork chops in the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess.
- Add just enough cooking oil to coat a large sauté pan or griddle over medium high heat. Place the schnitzel into the oil.
- Fry for 4 minutes a side until golden brown and crispy.
- Place the schnitzel on paper towel to soak up the oil.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti Carbonara
Carbonara dates back to Rome right after WW2 when American army soldiers were living in Italy. It was said that bacon and eggs were incorporated to the pasta, calling it “spaghetti breakfast.” The preparation of carbonara consists of spaghetti tossed in the fat of guanciale or pancetta. A mixture of eggs, pecorino romano, and black pepper is tossed with the pasta off the heat to prevent the eggs from curdling. Then the pork is tossed back in with the pasta. Other variations of this dish include using bucatini, fettuccine, linguine, or penne pasta; parmesan cheese instead of pecorino; and adding peas, broccoli, mushrooms, leeks, and onions.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- 3 tbsp salt
- 8 oz pancetta or guanciale or bacon; diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 4 oz pecorino romano or parmesan; shredded
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions 2 minutes shy of being done; reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta without rinsing.
- In a large sauté pan, brown the pancetta until crispy over medium heat; about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the pan, reserving the fat.
- Toss in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the pasta, coating with the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Beat together the eggs, pecorino, and black pepper.
- Turn off the heat and toss in the egg mixture and pasta water; coating the spaghetti.
- Toss the pancetta with the spaghetti.
Vegan Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
Vegan Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
I was recently invited to my good friends Larissa and Irene’s Friendsgiving party and was in charge of making sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. The catch was that both the side dishes had to be vegan. No problem. I typically make this sweet potato bake with real butter, heavy cream, and add crumbled bacon with the pecan topping. So I substituted real butter with plant-based butter made out of cashew milk and used almond milk instead of heavy cream. I also X’ed the bacon. The sweet potato bake still turned out just as good and was a hit with everyone.
Servings: 12
Equipment
- potato masher
- aluminum pan or baking dish
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
- 5 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 8 oz plant-based butter
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar plus more for topping
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil. Add in the sweet potatoes and boil for 10 minutes until fork tender. Drain.
- Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes. Stir in the plant-based butter, almond milk, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using nonstick spray, grease an aluminum pan or baking dish. Pour in the sweet potato mixture.
- Top the mixture with pecan halves. Sprinkle over more brown sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.
