Last week I was feeling a bit blah.  I couldn’t think of anything new to make, so I went blog surfing and I hit my good friend Julie’s blog over at Mommie Cooks and she had recently made some schnitzel.  Hmmm, schnitzel?  Ok, even the word is funny.  Say it with me…schnitzel…draw it out like…shniiiiiit-seeellll.  What?  I’ve never really made schnitzel, in fact, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what it was made out of.  All I could think of was that hot dog place, which as far as I can tell has absolutely nothing to do with schnitzel whatsoever.  Anyway, I read up and made the stuff, turns out it’s really really good.  The hubs was moved, moved I tell ya…You gotta try it.  See what I found out below there…

Little bit of history for you this fine Monday morn.  What the shiznet is a schnitzel?  Well, it is quite simply a breaded veal cutlet, or any pounded thin cut of meat.  Yup, that’s right, all the Italians out there are talking at the computer with their hands screaming, hey we invented cutlets, but au contraire mon frere, or in this case mein bruder, as the Germans whipped these bad boys up centuries ago.  Check out what Miriam-Webster says about zee schnitzel…

Main Entry: schnit·zel

Pronunciation: \ˈshnit-səl\

Etymology: German, literally, shaving, chip, diminutive of Schnitz slice, from Middle High German snitz; akin to Old High German snīdan to cut, Old English snīthan, and perhaps to Czech snět bough

See, how cute is that?  It means little slice.  And it is a little slice, it’s a little slice of heaven!  I made ours out of some pork chops that were on sale and threw them over a big salad.  Totally cost effective and delicious all at the same time.  The hubs ate 4!  Here’s how you make them.

Fitzpatrick’s Fo’ Shizzel my Pork Schnitzel

8 thin sliced pork chops pounded thin

2/3 cup flour

1 t garlic powder

S&P

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

4 T olive oil divided

2 T butter, divided

2 sprigs of thyme, divided

2 cloves garlic whole, divided

1 lemon cut into wedges

Set out three bowls to make your breading stations.  In the first bowl combine your flour, garlic powder, and S&P.  In the second bowl, combine your eggs and milk, the panko bread crumbs in the third.  Start my dredging your cutlets in the flour.  Shake off any excess then dunk them into the second bowl of eggs and milk.  Finish off by putting them into the third bowl with the bread crumbs.  Place them on a baking sheet or cutting board and let them sit for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet put 2 T of oil and 1 T of butter over medium high heat along with your 1 garlic clove and thyme sprig.  Once the oil has heated up remove the garlic and thyme and add in 2 cutlets.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes keeping an eye on them.  Flip them when they are golden brown, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt.  Set under some tin foil to keep warm.  Repeat with 2 more cutlets.  Toss out your oil and butter and start fresh heating remaining 2 T of oil and 1 T butter and garlic and butter.  Repeat process for the remaining cutlets.  Squeeze some lemon over all the cutlets and serve immediately with additional lemon.  SOOOOO good!