SUMAC & THYME SCHNITZEL (serves 3)
Ingredients :
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 3 boneless pork steaks
2-3 tbsp plain flour
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg (have another handy, just in case you need it)
4-5 slices of tasty bread, slightly stale, breadcrumbed
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried parsley
half a tsp dried thyme
1 heaped tsp ground sumac
3 tsp rapeseed oil (required separately)
3 tsp butter (required separately).
Method :
1. Well before you require the meat for cooking, prepare it for coating with the seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Take each steak or breast and cut through it down a long side, opening it out and effectively butterflying it.
2. Place onto a piece of cling film - opened out in the butterfly shape - and sprinkle with a couple of drops of water. This helps the cling film not to stick. Using a blunt instrument - or a meat hammer on the blunt side - gently but firmly hammer the meat until just a quarter of an inch thick, or less.
3. Place onto a plate and cover with cling film. Continue to the next breast or steak and repeat, placing it on top of the cling film and covering with another piece of film. Continue until all pieces are butterflied, hammered to an even thickness and stacked, then cover the lot with film and refrigerate.
4. About an hour and a half before you are due to cook, remove the meat from the fridge and prepare the three coating bowls - which should be a decent size so as to fit each schnitzel in without overlapping the side.
5. Into one bowl, place the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Mix the seasoning in.
6. Crack an egg into the second bowl and whisk with a fork.
7. Add the breadcrumbs, a good amount of black pepper, the celery salt, parsley, thyme and sumac to the last bowl and mix well.
8. Take the first breast or steak and gently lay it on top of the flour, then turn so that both sides are well coated. You may need to press down a little, to ensure every inch gets a coating.
9. Move on to the egg and lay the meat into the beaten egg, again turn to achieve an even coating, but don't wash the flour off!
10. Straight away, lay the meat onto the seasoned breadcrumbs and lightly press down to convince the crumbs to stick. Once again, turn and repeat to achieve an even coating of crumbs.
11. Place each schnitzel onto a plate or baking tray (I covered a tray with cling film and used that) and refrigerate for an hour.
12. Once it comes to cooking, take a large frying pan - non-stick are best - and heat 1 teaspoonful of the oil on a moderate heat, adding 1 teaspoonful of the butter just before you add the schnitzel.
13. Once the butter is frothy, add the schnitzel to the pan and leave it alone! Don't be tempted to shuffle it around the pan, or to turn it too soon. You want the coating to achieve a crispy shell before you turn the schnitzel and cook the other side.
14. Cooking usually takes around 7-8 minutes each side, but to check simply cut through the thickest part of each schnitzel and pull the edges of the cut aside so that you can see a) what colour the meat is, and b) what colour the juices are. If there is any sign of any pinkness, turn the schnitzel and continue cooking until all traces of pink have gone.
15. Place onto some kitchen paper and keep warm whilst you cook the remainder of the schnitzels. It is best not to stack the schnitzels or the ones at the bottom of the stack will go soggy whilst they are waiting. Keep them separate to retain the crispiness of the coating.
Serve with new potatoes, or potato salad and a garden salad.