This is one of the recipes that my family learned to make in Vienna after the war
(see Weinachtbrot). This is a dish I grew up with, and I think all of my brothers and sisters make it from time to time. Mother learned to make it from the liebe Grossmutter. She was from a very well-to-do family and not used to doing all of her own cooking, but there were special dishes like Wiener Schnitzel and Weinachtbrot that she taught
mother how to make. The family was FolkesDeutsch, which meant they were Germans who had settled in non-German countries (in their case Czechosolvakia) and were tossed out violently after World War II. The way I heard the story, they found a home in Vienna, met my parents, and bring you (somewhat indirectly) this recipe for Wiener Schnitzel.
INGREDIENTS:
8 to 12 pieces of veal, sliced very thin
salt, pepper, paprika
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
flour
bread crumbs
2 firm apples
bacon grease (or lard, or Crisco)
PROCEDURE:
- Pound out the veal slices with a clean, empty coke bottle. You hold the bottle upside down and pound the meat with the round, open top. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides as you are pounding. Do this to each of the slices and stack them on a plate.
- Get out three shallow dishes - pie pans work well. Beat your eggs with the milk in the first one. Put a cup or so of flour in the second, and the bread crumbs in the third.
- Dip each slice of veal first in the flour, then in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Be sure to coat both sides at each stage.
- Put the finished slices on a large flat plate. Now the messy part is over. Cover the meat and let it set in the refrigerator for at least half and hour. Use this time to clean up all the dirty dishes. (My liebe brother Michael taught me this part.)
- Peel and core the apples, and slice them crosswise so you get round pieces that look like doughnuts.
- Put 3-4 Tablespoons of bacon fat, or lard, or Crisco in a large frying pan to heat.
- Fry the breaded veal slices in the fat for about two minutes on each side and, at the same time, fry the apple slices for about a minute on each side. Drain everything on paper towels before transferring to a serving platter. The meat should come out of the pan golden brown and crusty.
- Keep the cooked slices warm in the oven while you finish frying, and then serve immediately because the thin slices cool very quickly.