Schnitzel und Spätzle

Ahhhh Schnitzel and Spätzle.  A homey, hunger-satisfying meal we learned to love while living in Heidelberg, Germany.  Schnitzel is a breaded pork or veal cutlet & Schnitzel are buttery noodles OF LOVE.  They really are.  In Germany it is not uncommon to be served a Schnitzel as big as your head.  It's both obscene & mouth-watering.  You will not lose weight eating this meal, but you will be very, very happy.  And you will not be forced to nag your picky eaters.  It's a trade-off I'm willing to make once in a while.

That all being said, there are nearly an infinite variety of Schnitzels & Spätzle.  Some Schnitzel are served with gravy.  Some you squeeze lemon over.  Some are topped with mushrooms - yum!  Spätzle varies in shape depending on the press used to make it.  Homemade tastes best, of course, but you can easily buy the noodles in the international aisle of your local grocery store.

The photo inserted above was going to be my own.  However, my family ate the food too quickly.  I'll add my own the next time I make it.  This is without a doubt a family favorite.  Half the time my 3 year old subsists on air & sugarless gum - but this meal....this meal she EATS.  Without further ado, here is the super simple recipe:

Schnitzel [shnit-zl] (breaded pork cutlet)

Thin cut, boneless pork cutlets - trim fat, place in ziploc freezer bag & pound until very thin (around 1/4").  I use an old German wooden potato masher.

Arrange 3 shallow bowls or plates in a line on the counter near the stove.
Plate 1: flour
Plate 2: beaten egg (1 or 2)
Plate 3: 1 1/2 c. breadcrumbs or Panko (my favorite!), garlic powder to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp.), salt & pepper to taste, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Mix well.

Heat oil on Med/High in a large non-stick frying pan (I use canola).
Coat each cutlet in flour.
Coat each cutlet in egg.
Coat each cutlet in breadcrumb mix.
Pan fry each cutlet until golden on each side - only takes a few minutes per side.
Set on a plate lined with paper towels.


Spätzle [shpayt-zl] (egg noodles)

You can purchase these noodles at your local grocery store!  Boil in salted water  (don't forget the salt it gives them flavor!). Serve with butter & Parmesan cheese.  Note: this is the EASY way (which I use!) but fresh-made Spätzle is the best.  I'll update this post when I make my own!  See the link below with a very easy looking Spätzle recipe.

 alternate schnitzle recipe including spatzle

I like to serve this meal with steamed broccoli or a fresh green salad.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Guten Appetit!

Gemma

Trash into Treasure

Friends! The process of recovering from the holidays and getting ready for our move has set me back and out of my routine! Sorry for the delay in blogs.

As I am cleaning out my pantry, I am finding ingredients that have been neglected and forgotten about. First challenge was using a bag of red lentils. A quick search led me to a curry delight. Not only did it get nods from my better half, my kids enjoyed it too. The only change I would make is a wedge or two of fresh lemon juice on top just before serving.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/red-lentil-curry/Detail.aspx

My second challenge was making brownies for our party of four for the super bowl. I thought I was in luck because I remembered seeing a mix bag in the back of my pantry. All came to a halt when I discovered that it expired in 2004! Another quick search found this brownie recipe that not only used ingredients I already had in my pantry, but made me fall in love with brownies again as a sophisticated dessert! I knew that only the four of us would eat these brownies straight out of the pan, so I skipped the parchment paper step. My tip for this one is follow all the other directions carefully, and wrap all extra immediately. They dry out fast...no preservatives:-)

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ultimate-brownies

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Onion and Squash Pasta

Every month my heart races just a little more than usual when I find my Everyday Food issue in the mail. I usually tear it open right at the mail box! So this month, I tried the roasted red onion and squash pasta recipe. We are about to move :-) and I need to use up all the frozen squash from the farmer's market! I really enjoyed the roasted vegetables, and the sage, the sage was almost fried! So delicious and crispy coming out of the oven. The process easy, ingredients all on hand, taste, not bad...BUT, not filling! I hate to negatively rate a recipe from my beloved magazine, but I will say, next time, I will add some tofu or any protein you desire.

Ingredients:

2 medium red onion, cut into 6 wedges each

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾ inch pieces

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves

1 Tablespoon olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

½ pound rigatoni

¼ cup grated fontina

Extras:

Pre – cooked tofu or chicken breasts

Crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 450. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss onions, squash and sage with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast ntil tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package intructions. Drain pasta, return to pot. Add vegetables and cheese, and toss to coat. If using protein and extra cheese, add at this time as well.