MEAT CUTLETS 5 WAYS

“Schnitzelen”

In cooking terms, a “cutlet” of meat—chicken, pork, beef, lamb, turkey—refers to a thin cut of meat usually taken from the leg or rib section (with fowl, sometimes the breast) of the animal. Commonly, cutlets are pounded even thinner before being quickly cooked over high heat.

You’ll find cutlets as the well-known preparations of chicken fried steak, Wiener schnitzel, and veal piccata. Vegetarians and vegans also can use tempeh, sometimes firmer tofu, to make cutlets.

Cutlets are a great way to have something versatile to eat, in various seasons, and that often use cuts of meat that are difficult to prepare in other ways. The difficulty is plain: because cutlets are very lean meat, they’re easily overcooked

For example, very lean bone-in pork from the loin—that is, a typical American “pork chop”—easily turns out dry and tough when prepared in any number of common ways, pan-fried with onions for example, or baked with apples. Pork tenderloin, another lean cut, is delicious but generally only when quickly grilled outside. When roasted in the oven or even broiled, it’s tricky not to end up with a dried-out, “seized-up” piece of meat.

Better, in many cases, with these cuts of meat, to make of them thin cutlets, quickly sautéed or fried. Here’s how, with four additional variations for different flavors and presentations.

First, remove any bone or bones that might be present. For pork, that usually means a rib bone along one side of a chop; with chicken breast, the rib bones underneath the musculature. For lamb or beef, if it’s not the tenderloin, then rib or other bone. What you want is a boneless piece of pretty lean meat.

That is what you’ll flatten into the cutlet. But let’s say that the piece of meat is pretty thick. Take it, then, and slice into it sideways, with the palm of one hand holding the meat still and the knife (in your other hand) parallel to the cutting board and cutting into the meat to open it into two halves as if you were making it into a sort of book.

Halt cutting about 1/2 inch to the end, leaving a sort of “hinge” to connect the two halves, and open it as if with a book and lay the whole thing out. Then flatten that now-thinner piece.

Some people have so-called meat hammers or mallets that they use to flatten meat into cutlets. If you don’t own one, use the bottom of a thick sturdy glass. (A typical barroom pint beer glass is perfect. Don’t use a thin-walled glass, even if it has a thick bottom. You chance the glass breaking and cutting into your hand or, worse, wrist.)

Pound the meat to about 1/2-inch thickness—thinner if you want, both for eating and speed of cooking—on top of the cutting board or counter, placing plastic wrap or waxed paper on both sides of the meat as you pound it. (I use a freezer-weight large zip bag; it’s a perfect and sturdy pocket.)

Before cooking the cutlet, it needs to be dressed. Season it with salt and pepper, and any dried herbs you choose; gently push the grains into the meat with your fingertips. Dredge the cutlet through some all-purpose flour, shaking off the excess, and then through a wash of a beaten egg or two. The egg is crucial in order to make the breadcrumbs from the next step stick. Pass the egged cutlet through the breadcrumbs - or sprinkle them on from above, gently pressing them into the cutlet - being sure to coat the cutlet well on both sides.

The choice of breadcrumbs isn’t crucial, but try not to use stale ones and be wary of using highly seasoned ones. I like to use panko, or Japanese-style breadcrumbs, because they’re lighter and airier and tend to make for fried crusts that are super-crisp and crunchy.

Now sauté the cutlet in butter or olive oil—or a combination of both—to cook the cutlet just through but not to toughness. The amount of time will depend on the thickness and temperature of the cutlet and from which kind of meat it comes: sometimes as little as 60 seconds on each side for a very thin chicken breast cutlet, to 2-4 minutes a side for cutlets such as pork or veal schnitzel.

You may serve your cutlets in any manner of ways, as something-“Parm”; as the center of a sandwich or a wrap; in spring or summer, inside a leaf or two of iceberg lettuce; sliced into “fingers” atop some fresh greens for a neat meat salad; or as a schnitzel with an egg as a crown and some slice of lemon as ladies-in-waiting.

RECIPE: Polish breaded pork cutlets (kotlety schabowy)
Makes 4, from thespruce.com

Ingredients
4 pork chops (boneless center cut, or a 1-pound pork tenderloin)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg (beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
2 cups breadcrumbs (or panko crumbs)
1 cup shortening (vegetable or canola oil)

Directions
If using chops, trim off fat and gristle. If using tenderloin, trim off fat, remove silver skin and cut into 4 equal pieces. Pound pork between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets in flour, then egg-water mixture, then breadcrumbs or panko crumbs. Allow cutlets to dry for 10 minutes before frying.

Heat shortening or oil to a depth of 1 inch in a large skillet. Fry one at a time by placing cutlets topside down into the pan. Fry 5 to 7 minutes per side until golden. Place on a heatproof plate in a warm oven (about 200 F) covered with foil and repeat with remaining cutlets. Alternatively, use two skillets to speed the process. Serve warm with applesauce, boiled potatoes and a green vegetable like Brussels sprouts if desired. (Bill St John note: I tested this recipe sautéing 3 minutes on each side in only 3 tablespoons mix of olive oil and butter and the results were splendid; no need for deep frying.)

Four variations follow; use meat of your choice with the main recipe:

With honey-soy dip: Slice cutlets into “fingers” and dip into sauce made of 1/2 cup honey, 3 minced cloves garlic, and 2 tablespoons sweet (or regular) soy sauce.

For “-Parm”: To the breadcrumb or panko dredge, add 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 tablespoon dried mustard powder. Serve finished cutlet as center of sandwich with lemon wedge to side.

As Mediterranean salad: Top a salad of mixed greens (or baby spinach, or both) with 2 carrots peeled into strips and 1 cup cilantro leaves with “fingers” of cutlet and dress with sprinklings of good olive oil, squeezes of lemon juice and scatterings of golden raisins.

As schnitzel à la Holstein: Top 2 cutlets with 1 anchovy each (optional) and eggs fried sunny-side-up in butter, then simple sauce of frying butter, 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley and 2 teaspoons dried, rinsed capers. Squeeze lemon juice on each