door bells and sleighbells and...

WIENER SCHNITZEL!

I've had these pictures for quite a while now but am just getting around to loading them up. We had a schnitzel-making class in place of German about a month ago.

When I say 'schnitzel,' the first thing that may come to mind is a song from the Sound of Music, a movie whose course of events and Hollywood filming took place a few hours from Vienna. Schnitzel with noodles, however, is found only in kitschy restaurants trying to snag American tourists. Schnitzel, particularly Wiener Schnitzel (which translates to Viennese Schnitzel), is most often served with french fries or a European-style potato salad (made with a vinegar dressing instead of a mayonnaise-based one) as well as a slice of lemon to squeeze on top. The best schnitzels are made with veal, but you'll often see pork and chicken schnitzels around the block. I've had it at least four times since I've been here; it's really good.

So. Our pictures below will take you through the schnitzel-making process, step by step. If raw meat grosses you out, I suggest you wait a few days for the next blog posting.


Jamie here is using a mallet to pound the already-thin cuts of veal to an even thinner state. It's loud and you have to be careful for the little drops of meat juice that are apt to fly everywhere.




The next step isn't one you might think about. One must essentially cut fringe around the edges of the meat. This keeps the schnitzel from curling up when it's fried later in the process.



Isn't this picture totally gross AND cool at the same time? Both sides of the meat are then dipped into an egg mixture.



Special bread crumbs are next. This picture was taken after many schnitzels were dipped in the bread crumbs...so everything's a little more eggy looking than it might otherwise be.




Here we have a glorious pile of raw schnitzel.

I don't have a frying picture, but this video should give you a sense. An equal ratio of oil and butter was poured into a pan and heated. Schnitzels don't take long to cook because they're so thin...so a few minutes on each side, and you've soon got a golden brown crispy piece of meat for your platter.



Schnitzels are fun to make with lots of people because everyone can have a job along the assembly line.



Those who don't have a job with the meat can be working on the potato salad. I forget what's involved here, but there are definitely a lot of potatoes and onions in that bowl. Generally speaking, I like this kind of potato salad a lot more than the mayonnaisey stuff in America.



Here's the finished product--our schnitzel feast in the dining room. You might be able to see the bottles of apple juice and seltzer water on the table. Austrians love apfelsaft gespritzer, which is simply apple juice mixed with seltzer water. I order it sometimes...it's good.