National Days!

Weinerschnitzel Day!

Weinerschnitzel

Ingredients:
sliced veal
bread crumbs
salt & pepper
butter
flour
egg
lemon wedges

Directions:
pound veal slices until they are very thin,(one standard cutlet will be about as round as a dinner plate after tenderizing with a hammer) (hint: cover with plastic wrap before tenderizing, it will reduce bits of meat from splattering) coat the processed veal with flour, season, dip in scrambled egg thed coat with the breadcrumbs, (process all meat first and cook it just before serving, for maximum flavor) Put a small amount of butter in a skillet on med high heat, when butter gets hot place cutlet in butter and fry about 1 minute, gently turn over and fry the the other side for about 1 minute. The meat will cook fast because it is very thin. Repeat process for all pieces of meat. Place on paper towels to drain any excess butter. DO NOT DROWN MEAT IN BUTTER WHEN FRYING AND DO NOT LET BUTTER BURN.

Serve with lemon wedges, which when squeezed over the cutlet will make it taste out of this world. (suggestion: serve asparagus and parsley potatoes with the cutlet and an individual salad. substitute pork cutlet for veal and follow the same process, except pork will take a little longer to cook (stretch the butter with a small amount of oil, when all the pork is cookedadd some flour to the drippings, and cook to thicken, add water then cook it until it recuces to a nice brown gravy (a small dash of Kitchen Boquet) will gice it a deep brown. While the gravey is cooking saute some thin onion slices and mushrooms in another skillet (saute not fry)after the gravy is cooked strain it to get a smooth texture then add the onions and mushrooms and place an ample dip ful over the pork cutlet when it is served, In Germany this is called a Yeager Schnitzel which translates to a "Hunters Schnitzel" because it is more robust.

National Steak Au Poivre Day!

Filet of Beef au Poivre

Source: Ina Garten
Ingredients
6 filet mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
1 cup canned beef broth
1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy

Directions
Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on 1 side and then for 3 minutes on the other side, for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top.

The titles of these 2 recipes sound like the recipes would be difficult. Surprisingly, both recipes were rated as EASY! So don't be afraid to give them a try sometime. Also, for the au Poivre, you might like that peppercorn sauce on other meats. I bet it's good on pork chops too!

It's also National Teddy Bear Day! Do you have a teddy bear or do you limit them for the kiddos? I have a stuffed pink pig who plays Farmer in the Dell.