#101 Austrian Wiener Schnitzel

A humble Wiener Schnitzel is a traditional Austrian dish made from thinly pound slices of boneless meat(either pork, veal or chicken) coated in breadcrumbs and fried. It is very similar to the Italian Chicken or Veal Parmesan and is popular in the Viennese region. It is served with a lemon sauce.  Every time we are at the Cosmopolitan Cafe on Route 1, I order my favorite  Chicken Schnitzel with a twisted lemon slice on top served with a salad. I have been wanting to experiment with this in my kitchen for the longest time, but just never had a chance until  last weekend. This was so beautifully carried out that I was impressed on the results. The juicy interior of the turkey cutlet and the crunchiness of the outer crust was absolutely scrumptious over mixed greens and a lemon dressing. Also can be served with a simple pasta with olive oil, garlic and grape tomatoes. Yumm..... I was thrilled to re-create the Schnitzel and that too on a leaner meat--

Ingredients:
•4 turkey cutlets pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
•1/4 c. flour (all purpose or brown rice)
•1/4 tsp. salt
•1/2 c. bread crumbs
•2 eggs
parsley, garlic salt and pepper as required
•Olive Oil for frying

Sauce:
Lemon juice- 2 Tblspns
Garlic- 1/4 tspn
Butter- 2 Tblspn
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
1. To pound meat thin you may want to place the cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap for easier washing up. Use a heavy, flat-surface pan to pound if you don’t have a meat mallet.
2. Pound the meat evenly to 1/4 inch thickness for best results.
3. Prepare the dry mix by adding parsley, garlic salt, salt and pepper to the flour and breadcrumbs.
4. Break the eggs add salt and pepper and beat well.
5. Take each pounded cutlet and drop in the egg and then toss well in the dry mix to cover on all sides.
6. Do not press the bread crumbs into the meat. The crust should not adhere completely, but form a loose shell around the schnitzel.
7. Take a saucepan with flat bottom and add the Olive oil to it. When medium hot, gently place the
breaded cutlets in the pan and fry on both sides for 2 minutes each and remove onto a paper towel.
Keep warm.
8. Make a quick sauce in the same pan with the ingredients for sauce and cook down add the butter at the end to make a slurry, Serve on a salad of mixed greens or with pasta.

#53 Paula's Pistachio Linzertorte with Black Raspberry Jam

I read about this beautiful European cookie recipe from among the Top Holiday Cookies of 2010 as listed by the Food Network. The cookie looked very much like one my Amma used to make years ago with sugar, butter and flour. She called it Tri-Color biscuits. It was a sandwich cookie where the top layer had three holes. She applied three different jellies/jams to the base cookie and placed the top layer to sandwich them together with the jam in between. She was an expert at home-made jams and jellies made with tropical fruits like pineapple and mangoes, which were always stored in handy jars.
This recipe calls for Cherry Jam but I preferrred to use Black Raspberry Jam that I had in my pantry. Unlike my Amma, I do not make fresh jams or jellies because both of us are not big eaters of jams. This cookie was a popular one at home and with my colleagues this year.  I did not have a small star shaped cutter so I used a small round one instead for the center. The recipe is available at

http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/top-holiday-cookies/pictures/index.html

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 cups ground roasted and salted pistachios
• Cherry jam

Directions

In a large bowl, beat butter and confectioners' sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg yolks until combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, nutmeg and cardamom. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined. Beat in ground pistachios. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter. Cut out centers of half the cookies with a 1/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Spread cherry jam evenly over flat sides of uncut cookies. Top with flat sides of cutout cookies. Return to baking sheets, and bake for 2 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks. Store in airtight