WINE WITH…Pork Schnitzel with Apple and Endive Salad

Oct 9, 2021 | Wine With…

By Paul Lukacs and Marguerite Thomas

WINE WITH…Pork Schnitzel with Apple and Endive Salad

This delicious recipe is quick and simple to prepare. The only “trick” to it is keeping the oil hot enough to quickly brown the schnitzels

without burning them. Because we prefer a light and crisp schnitzel rather than one with a thicker coating, we usually skip the traditional flour coating and dip our schnitzels only in egg and bread crumbs.

In the German and Austrian tradition schnitzels are generally served with French fries, spaetzle or potato salad, but for a change of pace we think this apple and endive salad makes a refreshing counterpoint to the dish.

Pork Schnizel With Apple and Endive Salad

Serves 4

For the Salad:

3 Honeycrisp or other sweet, juicy apples

4-5 endives

1 head radicchio

5 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Quarter and core the apples and cut them into bite-size pieces. Trim the endives, slice them in half lengthwise, and cut them into approximately 1-inch pieces. Tear the radicchio into bite size pieces and toss them with the apples and endives in a salad bowl. Whisk together the oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and fold this dressing into the other ingredients.

For the Schnizel:

4 boneless pork cutlets, pounded to ¼ inch thickness

salt and pepper

1 egg

1 cup panko or similar style bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Season the pork cutlets generously with salt and pepper. Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl. Put the panko in another shallow bowl. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large cast iron or other sturdy skillet. While it is heating, dip the cutlets one by one into the egg, and then into the breadcrumbs, coating both sides of the meat. When the butter foams, add the breaded cutlets in a single layer without overcrowding (work in batches if necessary). When each cutlet is golden brown on the bottom, flip it and brown the other side.

To serve, divide the salad among 4 plates. Rest a cutlet against each serving of salad and sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan over each one.

* * *

Because the breading is light and the cutlets thin, this dish works well with both red and white wines. Perhaps not surprisingly, two Rieslings (one bone dry, the other a tad sweet) starred in our tastings, but then so too did a couple of light-bodied reds (and a value-priced Viognier). What unites all the wines we’re recommending is that, while full of flavor, they are not heavy or overly robust. They thus match the schnitzel in terms of body and weight.

Connect on Twitter: @M_L_Thomas and @Wine_With_

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Selection

Approx. Price

Comments

Carmel Road

Arroyo Seco

(California)

Pinot Noir

2015

$25

Fruit-filled and slightly sweet, with bright cherry flavors and just a hint of vanilla from oak, this is a smooth wine with a supple texture. That texture is what enabled it to complement this particular dish so nicely.

Paul Cluver

Elgin

(South Africa)

Riesling

“Estate”

2015

(Imported by The Country Vintner)

$18

Bone dry, with a steely backbone, and very crisp apple fruit flavors, this wine was like a jolt of energy when paired with our schnitzel. It made our taste buds sit up and take notice.

Cono Sur

(Chile)

Viognier

“Bicicleta”

2016

(Imported by Vineyard Brands)

$11

A phenomenal bargain, with all the exotic floral qualities of the best Viogniers but a lighter body than most, this wine tasted sumptuous and added intrigue to the pairing.

Piccini

Chianti Classico

(Italy)

2014

(Imported by Quintessential)

$17

Much like the Pinot Noir we are recommending, this wine’s supple mouthfeel is what it made it work well with the dish. An added bonus came from the characteristic Chianti note of dustiness, which added an earthy edge to the match.

Robert Weil

Rheingau

(Germany)

WINE WITH…Pork Schnitzel with Apple and Endive Salad

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