Traditional Schnitzel with Spaetzle & Rotkohl
An authentic German staple with thin, crispy schnitzel serve with creamy egg noodles and sweet and sour braised cabbage. I included my favorite lemon cream pan sauce recipe that brings everything together in a truly delicious way.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Schnitzel
- 4 thinly sliced veal, pork or chicken cutlets
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 3/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
- salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- lemon wedges (for garnishing)
Lemon Cream Pan Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
- 3/4 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- chicken stock (optional)
Rotkohl
- 1 small head of purple cabbage, sliced
- 1 large apple, grated
- 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- a pinch of cloves
- 4 tablespoons of butter, browned and cooled
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Spaetzle
- 2 cups of dried spaetzle
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of parmesan, shredded
Instructions
Make the rotkohl…
- Combine the sliced cabbage and grated apple in a saucepan
- Add 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar,1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and a pinch of cloves into the saucepan and place it over medium heat
- Cover the saucepan and slowly bring the liquids to a simmer
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
- While the cabbage is simmering, place a small skillet over medium heat and melt down 4 tablespoons of butter and cook until it begins to brown slightly. Transfer the butter off of the heat to cook until the cabbage is done
- Drain the liquids from the cabbage mixture and transfer it to a mixing bowl
- Add the browned butter along with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and mix until combined
- Set aside for now
Make the spaetzle…
- Cook 2 cups of dried spaetzle according to the directions on the packaging
- When fully cooked, drain and return the saucepan to medium heat
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the saucepan
- Add the drained spaetzle back into the saucepan and mix until the spaetzle is fully coated in the butter and cream
- Turn the heat off
- Mix in 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan, cover the saucepan and set aside until ready to serve
Make the schnitzel…
- Use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound the cutlets to about 1/4 inch thickness
- Add 1/2 cup of flour to a shallow bowl and season with salt and black pepper
- Whisk 2 eggs and a tablespoon of milk into another shallow bowl and season with salt and black pepper
- Add 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl
- Dip each pounded cutlet into the flour until the surface is lightly coated
- Then dip into the eggs and allow any excess to drip back to the bowl
- Finally, press into the breadcrumbs ensuring that all sides are fully coated
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil into a large skillet placed over medium heat (add additional butter or oil if needed to fry the schnitzel in batches)
- Once the butter has melted, add the coated cutlets leaving some space in between each piece
- Allow the first side to cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and crisp
- Carefully flip each piece over and cook until both sides and golden and crispy
- Transfer the cooked schnitzel onto a cooling rack or paper towel lined plate and season with salt
Make the lemon cream pan sauce…
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter into the same skillet you fried the schnitzel in (if there is a lot of breadcrumbs in the skillet, discard most of them before starting the sauce)
- Add a clove of finely minced garlic and cook for about 60 seconds while stirring
- Add 3/4 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and bring to a simmer
- Simmer until creamy (add a splash of chicken stock if the sauce reduces more than you prefer)
- Spoon over the schnitzel before serving