I realize you must think at times that I should just change the name of this blog to “This Old Schnitzel,” since I serve and post about it so frequently. But it's never ever the same! That's one of the reasons I love it. A pinch of something here, a pinch of something else there… totally different result…
What made tonight's different? I cut some old baguette into cubes and then toasted them until very dry and crisp, but not too brown, in a dry skillet. Then I blitzed them in the processor and the resulting fine, dry toasted bread crumbs were wonderfully different.
Then, for the pan sauce, I sautéed a minced onion and a small minced garlic clove in EVOO, and added a few sprigs each of thyme, tarragon, and sage with a splash of white wine and water (yep, plain old water)… and simmered it all until reduced by about half.
I strained out the liquid and set it aside. Tasted. Added bit of salt and pepper.
The schnitzel was my basic…
http://www.thisoldchef.com/blog.html/schnitzel_redux_sandy_be_damned
Once it was golden brown, I removed it to a very warm plate. Then I added the reserved liquid to the hot pan, tossed in some capers, scraped the pan a bit to loosen the best bits, turned off the heat, and added a heaping tablespoon of sour cream along with some lemon zest…
I poured this over the crispy, crunchy chicken, showered it with chopped chives, and served it alongside steamed cauliflower (with just a bit of butter, salt, and nutmeg) and a few boiled fingerlings that I'd sliced in half lengthwise and sautéed until dark gold in EVOO, salt, pepper, and, just before serving, 2t finely minced fresh rosemary.
That, my friends, is a dinner!