Schnitzel

Ingredients

• 4 veal cutlets
• 2 eggs
• 1 lemon
• 100 g flour
• 150 g bread crumbs
• 100 g butter
• salt
• paprika
• pepper

Method

The schnitzel depends entirely on pounding — you're not tenderising for texture alone, but creating a uniform thickness that ensures even browning and prevents a tough, overcooked exterior hiding a raw centre. Pat the veal dry first; moisture prevents proper contact between meat and mallet. Place each cutlet between two sheets of cling film and strike decisively from the centre outward with the flat of the mallet, aiming for roughly 0.3 cm thickness. Don't be timid. The meat should feel noticeably thinner and slightly translucent at the edges when you're finished.

Set up your breading station in order: flour in the first shallow bowl, beaten eggs in the second, and breadcrumbs mixed with salt and paprika in the third. Season the cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper before breading — this seasoning won't penetrate the flour layer properly if you apply it after. Work one cutlet at a time. Coat lightly in flour, shaking off excess, then dip through the egg so the breadcrumbs have something to grip. Press the crumb coating gently into both sides — this adhesion is what gives you the crust. Any gaps in coverage will fry pale and crisp unevenly.

Heat the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium-high flame until it foams and the foam subsides, roughly 2–3 minutes. This temperature — around 180°C — is where the milk solids brown without burning, creating the golden colour you're after. Add the schnitzel and resist the urge to move it. Leave it undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until the underside turns deep golden and sounds crisp when you tap it with a spatula. Flip once, cook the other side for another 2 minutes, then transfer to kitchen roll to drain excess fat. The breadcrumbing and butter frying are a partnership: the protein in the meat-cookery|cutlet denatures and firms, whilst the starch in the breadcrumbs gelatinises into that characteristic crunchy shell.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges. The sharp acidity cuts through the richness of the butter and meat — squeeze it over the schnitzel just before you eat, so the crust doesn't soften from prolonged contact with the juice.