A Little Background

I’ll admit it—I was almost embarrassed to include my grandmother’s schnitzel in our cookbook. It wasn’t traditional. It didn’t follow the rules I thought schnitzel was supposed to follow.

In fact, I barely remembered eating it as a kid, so I turned to my dad for answers. When he described how she made it—braised in onions and beef stock instead of fried crisp—I couldn’t help but think… soggy schnitzel?

But he just smiled and explained that it wasn’t soggy at all. The breading didn’t fall apart—it absorbed. It soaked up the rich stock and sweet onions until the crust, the sauce, and the meat became one.

What sounded wrong on paper turned out to be something deeply comforting, more like the smothered dishes of American kitchens than the crisp cutlets of Germany. And that’s when it clicked—this wasn’t a mistake or a shortcut. It was a transformation. My grandmother hadn’t forgotten how to make schnitzel… she had simply learned how to make it her way in America.

When I made it I recognized this flavor that was a signature flavor in her kitchen the chemistry of the breading, the onions the sauce, it is one of my fondest memories of my grandma’s kitchen.

I tried to communicate the beauty of how the crust puffs up in the pictures below,

so I hope you try it!

Prep

Here I used a 12 x 10 size pan.
The foil ones are available at most grocery stores.

SInce these are small cutlets, I put the cup of flour on one side and the
bread crumbs on the other.

crack the egg in the bowl and wisk with 2 tablespoons water till it isn’t gooey.
Do a standard Breading of flour, egg wash, and then bread crumbs.

Let the Schnitzels rest on a plate while you chop the onions and heat up the pan.

Add about 3 tablespoons olive oil, heat to medium and add the Schnitzels.

Brown the schnitzels on one side and flip over and brown the other side.

When the other side has browned add the sliced onions salt and pepper and put the Schnitzels on top.

Simmer and shake the pan, till the onions are tender.

Add the stock and let the cutlets swim in the stock.

The Schnitzel breading will puff up and absorb the stock,
and the flavors,
and make a sauce when you reduce it.

Serve with boiled redskin potatoes and cucumber salad like my grandma would.

Tell me what you think of this recipe.
But I am sure it will surprise you!