Chemistry in the kitchen: Wiener schnitzel

The Culinary Couple, Credit Emily

Let me tell you how I met my husband and my culinary companion. It's a love story that originated in a lab and intensified in a kitchen.

He was a graduate student in Penn State's College of Medicine, and I was writer for a research magazine. I traveled from State College to Hershey to meet a professor -- his professor -- with a camera bag slung over my shoulder and a tripod tucked under my arm.
While I operated the camera and jotted notes, he hovered over a microscope in a crisp white lab coat. Occasionally we glanced in one another's direction, and then quickly looked away.

Finally, during a break in the interview, he cordially introduced himself. His name was Nick, and conversation was comfortable from the start.

Following that Friday in April, we exchanged lengthy emails and late night phone calls. And soon we found ourselves at a mahogany pub table inside Otto’s -- a cozy State College establishment -- for our first official date.

We shared stories over pretzel-crusted catfish and pints of red ale. I told him about growing up in York County, and he told me about his early childhood memories in Germany. Nick was born there while his father served in the military, and so he developed a palette for Bavarian cuisine at a young age.

A German Feast, Credit Emiy

It wasn’t until that October that I tasted Nick’s homemade Wiener Schnitzel, and it’s still my favorite dish in his repertoire.

In Austria Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally made with veal, but in Germany it can be made with pork. Nick prefers the pork version and likes to ask the butcher at the meat counter for fresh, thin cutlets. He serves the breaded, fried pork with a spritz of lemon and a sprig of parsley. Spätzle (egg noodle), Rotkohl (red cabbage), and Spaten (lager) always round out the meal.
Prost!

What is the most memorable dish that your partner has prepared for you?

Ingredients

• 8 cuts pork loin, sliced or pounded thin (1/2 inch)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• Olive oil
• Lemon wedges
• Parsley

Directions

1. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into three separate shallow bowls. Dredge thin pork cutlets in flour, dip into beaten eggs, and coat with bread crumbs.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook pork until both sides are brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet lined with foil and place in 250° oven to keep warm.
3. Just before serving spritz with lemon and garnish with parsley. Serve alongside Spätzle and Rotkohl and wash it all down with a cold lager.

Notes
Both Spätzle and Rotkohl can be found in the international aisle at Wegmans. We like Black Forest Girl Spätzle and Kühne Rohtkohl.