Cutlets of Veal, Chicken, Pork or Turkey

(Cotolette di Vitello, Pollo, Maiale o Tacchino - Cutulette ri Viteddu, Addina, Porcu o Gaddurina)

The cutlet is a thin slice of meat about a quarter of an inch thick which is fried in oil after being dredged into flour, dipped in eggs, rolled into breadcrumbs and then sautéed in hot oil. Cutlets can be made from the boneless leg of veal, boneless breast of chicken, boneless loin or pork chops, or boneless breast of turkey. I rather serve 2 small cutlets per portion and accordingly, I cut the meat into medallions about 3 inches wide.

This very popular dish, also known by different names, it is called costoletta, schnitzel, wieninleike, apanados, panado, etc. and it is slightly differently prepared all over the world. In Italy, the cutlet recipe varies also from region to region and from family to family. The difference in the various recipes consists in the use or not of any spices and condiments and/or if the seasoning is either blended in the eggs or mixed in the breadcrumbs.

I prefer to season the breadcrumbs, and in fact, the frying of the mixture of breadcrumbs, cheese, onions, and herbs embedded into the cutlets, adds extra taste to them. If after preparing the cutlets there are leftover breadcrumbs and eggs, use them to coat and bread thin slices of eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms and serve them as a side dish; or mix the eggs and breadcrumbs and fry it to make a delicious nosh, something between a pancake and a frittata.

Serving Size4
Meats

Ingredients

6 thin slices of meat (about 1lb.). Rinsed and drained.
5 tablespoons of flour for dredging meat
2 cups sifted fine Italian breadcrumbs
½ small onion very finely minced
½ cup grated cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Small pinch of oregano
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
6 tablespoons of canola, corn, peanut or olive oil (See Note below)
salt and pepper
2 fresh quartered lemons for garnish

Instructions

THE MEAT
Cut each slice in two pieces. Place each slice between two sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a mallet to flatten all slices to about 3/8 inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

THE BREEDING
Three receptacles are needed to contain the ingredients in order to proceed with the breading. Place the flour in a wide container. In a wide bowl, lightly beat the milk, eggs and a pinch of salt until smooth. Use a shallow dish, to combine breadcrumbs, onions, cheese, parsley, a small pinch of oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the scaloppine into the flour and one at a time, transfer to the bowl containing the eggs. Use a fork to turn the meat in the eggs to thoroughly coat on both sides; let drip any excess eggs and move to the seasoned breadcrumbs. Squeeze the breadcrumbs into the meat, patting heavily with your hands, to firmly compact the breadcrumbs. Set the breaded cutlets into a pan or dish and once they have all been breaded, cover, set on the side and keep refrigerated. It is advisable to prepare the cutlets in advance, because a few hours in the refrigerator will make it possible for the breadcrumbs to adhere better on the meat so that the coating will not fall off when frying.

THE FRYING AND SERVING
In a heavy large skillet over a medium flame, heat 3 tablespoons of oil; proceed to the frying in batches. Fry the cutlets for about 2 minutes on each side or until light golden brown; cook a few at a time without crowding the pan, rest on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Transfer and arrange on a serving dish, cover with aluminum foil and keep warm. Use the remaining oil if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature and garnish with quartered lemons.

NOTE ON THE OILS

The preferred oil for frying is canola oil or corn or peanut oil; canola oil is chosen not only for its neutral taste but because it has a high smoking point making it possible to reach a higher temperature to make a crunchier and well cooked cutlet. The smoking point of canola oil is 238 degrees; corn is 236, peanut 231, whereas the olive oil smoking point is 190 degrees.