German Pork Schnitzel with a Mushroom Sauce

A while back I shared a recipe with you that my family went wild for. It was an out of this world pork chop dish. Hubby said they were the best pork chops he had ever tasted. Hunter’s Pork Chops  are a complex variation of the German Schnitzel. The recipes, although basically the same, are different.

This time around, I’m using the bone-in chops for two reasons. Cooking meat on the bone adds subtle differences in the over-all flavor, and it’s what I happen to have in the freezer. One less thing to but at the market in a week that is heavy with fresh vegetables and booze (needed Irish Whiskey and good whiskey comes with a hefty price tag when you are cooking on a budget).

The Hunter’s Pork Chops called for button mushrooms, the German Schnitzel utilizes brown mushrooms in the sauce. Brown mushrooms will give the dish a more earthy flavor to off-set the cream.

The real test will be in the eating. Now if I were really ambitions, I would cut the recipes in half and cook them side-by-side for a true comparison. I’m not that ambitions, so any comparison will need to rely on memory. That’s okay – the Hunter’s Pork Chops were out-of-this-world delicious. Unforgettably so.

Not wanting to reprise the same meal with only a variation in the chops themselves, this time around we served up the chops with Stewed Green Beans and Twice-Baked potatoes. Kiddo’s been feeling under the weather all week, so I’ve lost my Sou Chef for the evening and wanted to keep things relatively simple. The potatoes could be baked and held in the oven until the end, and the Green Beans take very little effort while packed with flavor.

The recipe for German Pork Schnitzel was part of my YumPrint collection – with no link to an original source. This tells me it’s one of those recipes I “typed” into the collection from a piece of paper or magazine clipping. (Once upon a time I had a Pendaflex folder stuffed to the point of bursting open with clippings or hand-written recipes. Thank goodness for computers and the internet!)  Now I just wish I could remember where some of those recipes originated from . . . oh well – let’s get to cooking and eating, shall we?

German Pork Schnitzel with a Mushroom Sauce
Pork Schnitzel
1 cup flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 1/2 lbs Pork – 4 chops, bone-in or tenderloin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Place flour in shallow bowl; bread crumbs in second bowl. Beat eggs gently in third bowl until blended.

Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. While pan heats, season both sides of pork with salt and pepper.

Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in the hot pan; swirl to coat. Lower temperature to medium.

Dip pork in flour (coating both sides) then dip into egg mixture (allowing excess to drip off) and finally dip into bread crumbs. Place 2 pork steaks in pan; cook 4–5 minutes on each side or until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness.

Remove pork steaks from pan; cover to keep warm. Repeat steps with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 pork steaks. Serve with mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 lbs brown mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup Chicken Broth or Stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add thyme, zest, wine and broth or stock, simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in cream, salt and pepper, simmer until mixture lightly coats back of spoon, about 5 minutes more.

NOTE: Pork may be cooked in one batch if sauté skillet is large enough. If cooking in batches is necessary, place cooked chops in a slow oven (200 degrees), tented to keep warm. Make mushroom sauce in same skillet as chops, incorporating any meat drippings into sauce.

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen