ja, das war gut

It all started more than a year and a half ago. We were in Munich and I was dying for a schnitzel, but somehow managed to never eat one while there. A few months ago I finally got my fix in Dallas at Neighborhood Services, I asked the waitress her opinion between two dishes, and she said, without hesitation, "the schnitzel, it's a little piece of heaven." She was right and dang, ja das war gut.

That's German for "Yes, that was good," and that it was. It's one of those meals you hope never ends. It was huge, crunchy and complimented by peppery spaetzle and sauteed greens. Totally worth the $21.
Last week I suddenly got a craving for the dish again, but after Christmas shopping and new couch, $21 was sounding a little pricey for one meal. So I made it myself, why not add it to repertoire? I do have lots of German family! Plus, I had the perfect occasion, an early Christmas dinner with the beau.

Now typically schnitzel is fried in butter and oil which goes against a lot of things I stand for, so the question arises. How to make this lighter without sacrificing on flavor? Mostly: portion size. Our schnitzels were much smaller than a typical restaurant portion, but when it's as satisfying as it was, you don't need as much. I pan-fried the schnitzel in a little olive oil rather than butter and instead of serving greens that had most likely been sauteed with liberal amounts of butter, I opted for a fresh arugula salad with lemon parmesan dressing. Mmmm mmm mmm! The lemon paired nicely with everything and lightened the dish. Oh, and the spaetzle! For those who don't know it's sort of like a noodle or a dumpling. Sort of plain on its own, but like pasta you can add all sorts of things to boost the flavor and in my case, I added lots of fresh herbs and sliced mushrooms.



This dish made for a perfect early Christmas celebration. It'd also be great on cold winter night or if you just feel like reminiscing about trips to Munich... before you had a job...anyways, Fröhliche Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)!

Schnitzel, serves 4

• 4 veal scallopini cutlets
• 1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs, more if needed
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 4 lemon wedges

Set up 3 shallow bowls for your breading station. Flour in the first, whisked egg and milk in the second and breadcrumbs in the last. Season each liberally with salt and pepper and mix to combine evenly. Dredge veal cutlets in flour, then egg mixture, let excess drip off, then breadcrumbs. Place on a wire rack for 30 minutes to dry. This will help the breadcrumbs adhere to the veal. In a large skillet, heat 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering place the veal cutlets in oil. Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden brown and flip. Cook for several more minutes, until golden brown. Place on a clean wire rack to let excess oil drip.

Mushroom & Herb Spaetzle, serves 4

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp coarsely ground salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 3 Tbsp of mixed fresh herbs (1 of each: parsley, chives, rosemary), divided
• 8 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. finely chopped onion
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder, or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
• S & P to taste

In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Whisk in eggs and milk. Gently stir in 1/2 of the fresh herbs. In a wide pot, bring water to a boil. With a metal colander with big holes, like this one, pour half of the batter and push through the holes with a spatula. The dough will drop into the water and cook. Once all the dough is through, cook for 2 minutes, or until they aren't doughy in the middle. With a slotted spoon, scoop out cooked spaetzle and place in a strainer. Repeat with the second portion of the dough. Set spaetzle aside.

In a skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil. When shimmering, add onions and garlic powder and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are cooked. Add oil if pan is dry and add spaetzle. Bring heat to high and lightly brown the spaetzle, stirring every minute or so. Add the remaining fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper.

Serve spaetzle with schnitzel on top, a lemon wedge and an arugula salad with lemon parmesan dressing.