Jägerschnitzel with Spätzel

Jägerschnitzel or hunters schnitzel

I had to pop into my Doctor as I needed a new prescription, on the way I passed a butcher that I often use and in the window she had some nice Schnitzel Fleisch (Schnitzel meat is just not any old piece of pork it comes from the hind leg or in German the Schinken. It can contain two types of muscles but it should always be cut across the muscle fibre (across the grain). I have known Elke the master butcher for many years (and many drinks together) and she doesn’t sell any rubbish (though she does drink some).

So that was how I came to be making  Jägerschnitzel, oh by the way, Wienerschnitzel is always and I mean always made out of Veal, just as Berlinerschnitzel is always made out of  Udder, I bet that made you shudder.

I suppose the correct terminology for what I was making should be Schweineschnitzel mit Jägersoße

Ingredients for 4 people (1 each, now don’t be greedy and eat 2)

4 pieces of pork meat cut from the leg (about 125g each)

2 eggs

Enough flour to cover a dinner plate

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried marjoram

1 tsp. dried oregano

Dried lightly toasted bread crumbs (Paniermehl, in Germany this is ready made and to be had in every butchers and bakers)

Oil for frying (purists will use butter, but I am on a health kick at the moment)

For the Jäger sauce

4 or 5 large mushrooms (better if you can get some wild ones)

1 clove of garlic

4 shallots

50g of speck (or smoked streaky bacon diced)

200ml of vegetable stock

Dash of soya sauce

Dash of sherry

Dash of Anchovy sauce (or a mashed up anchovy filet)

Dash of mushroom ketchup (German readers don't worry, use some dried steinpilz powder) 

Juice of half a lemon

Table spoon of cream (or a vegetable substitute, Rama crème)

Freshly ground pepper

Leaves picked from a couple of sprigs of fresh marjoram and oregano

Method:

Mix your savoury flour (flour, salt pepper, dried marjoram, thyme and oregano) place this on one plate.

Beat the 2 eggs in a deep plate (have you ever tried beating them on a flat one???)

Spread a deep layer of bread crumbs on another plate

In the meantime put a 4^th one in a heated oven (boy is this a load of washing up for later)

Lay the schnitzels out on a board and bash it with a cleaver or one of those fancy mallets, they even make a special tool for doing it, but me being a poor pauper, just use the side of my heaviest knife (wonder if it tastes different using a special tool?) Actually don’t bash it too hard, just enough to get them a uniform thickness of about 3-4mm.

Heat a good 2mm of oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan (I have a cast iron skillet which is ideal for this, Ikea if you must know)

Dredge the schnitzel through the savoury flour patting to remove any excess, then through the egg, then through the bread crumbs, repeat the egg and bread crumbs again, this gives it a wonderful thick coating (I find it better to pour some crumbs over the top, patting it in and shaking off any excess.

Pop into the oil, not too hot, you don’t want them to be burnt on the outside and raw on the inside, when the one side is fried to a golden brown, turn (only turn it the once, there is much less chance of the coating coming loose) and cook the other side until also nice and golden. Transfer to the plate in the oven and continue doing the others, I normally do one side and then add another schnitzel to the pan, this way you can control the cooking much better and it is a bit like a conveyor belt.

While you are frying your schnitzels, you can also be making your sauce (and boiling your potatoes or frying your chips or as in this case boiling your Spätzle).

Slowly fry the onions and garlic until translucent, add the sliced mushrooms and speck, fry until the mushrooms are soft, add the stock , bubble up, add the rest of the ingredients, be careful with the anchovy sauce, you will only need a dash or it will be too salty and fishy. Adding the fresh herbs right at the end, along with the lemon juice.

Add the fresh herbs and finish off with the juice of half a lemon.

Plate up, a pile of Spätzlen and a schnitzel, pour the sauce over and enjoy it, nothing hard or gourmet, but good rustically prepared German Grub! (This can also be served with tinned peas and carrots, or chips a la Schnell Imbiß)