Schnitzel Recipe with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

My favorite dish has always been a jaegerschnitzel, preferably from a local inn in my home village in Germany, as there it always tastes a little better than anywhere else. What many people do not realize is that schnitzel is a method of cooking – tenderizing a meat by pounding, then lightly coating it in flour, egg and a breadcrumb mixture before quickly pan-frying it.

Jaegerschnitzel, or hunter’s schnitzel, is a type of cutlet with a mushroom sauce. Traditional side dishes we serve with schnitzel in Germany are French fries; potato croquettes; spätzle, or egg noodles; simple boiled potatoes; or even a green salad. I usually make potato croquettes, but whatever you choose to serve with it, be sure to enjoy a nice, cold pilsner, hefeweizen, or if you prefer wine, a glass of chilled grüner veltliner or riesling. Guten appetit!

Chef Tino’s Schnitzel Recipe
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons dried mushrooms
8 small schnitzel (veal scallops, each about 2.5 ounces)
¾ cup white flour
3 fresh eggs, whisked well into an egg wash
2 ½ cups breadcrumbs
½ cup canola oil
3 tablespoons shallots, peeled and diced finely
1 ¼ cups fresh forest mushrooms, washed and cut into quarters
3 ½ tablespoons dry white wine
½ cup cream
¼ teaspoon ground caraway
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
Lemon slice

DIRECTIONS
Heat the vegetable stock in a small saucepan and then remove from the stove. Add the dried mushrooms and let set for 30 minutes. Pour into a sieve and set aside the stock and mushrooms separately for the sauce.

Place the schnitzel between two layers of plastic wrap and pound the schnitzel with a tenderizing hammer or meat cleaver until uniformly thin, approximately ¼-inch thick.

Dust the schnitzel with flour and dip each in the egg wash. Let the egg wash drip off slightly and then bread them carefully so they are thoroughly covered. Set aside.

Sauté the chopped shallots in a medium-sized pot with a bit of canola oil and then add the fresh quartered mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes till nicely browned. Remove the mushrooms and shallots from the pot and set aside. Deglaze the pot with white wine and add the reserved stock from soaking the dry mushrooms. Add the cream and season with ground caraway, salt and pepper. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water, blend into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.

Heat up a large frying pan to medium heat and add canola oil. Let the oil heat and then add the breaded schnitzel, frying them on both sides carefully for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Before serving, heat up the mushroom sauce and finish by adding the freshly chopped parsley. Taste once more to adjust seasoning if needed and keep sauce warm.

Serve immediately with mushroom sauce drizzled on the schnitzel and garnish with a slice of lemon.

About Corporate Executive Chef Tino Daab
Chef Tino Daab hails from the small German countryside village of Wersau, which is between Frankfurt and Heidelberg, in the Odenwald National Park region. He began his culinary career with an apprenticeship at a local hotel where he spent three years learning the basics of the culinary arts. In 1999, Chef Tino joined his first cruise ship as a chef de partie and discovered the perfect combination of working as a chef and traveling. Over the next few years, he worked his way up the ladder to become Executive Chef in 2003 and joined the Oceania Cruises family in 2007. Chef Tino eventually became part of the corporate culinary team several years ago, allowing him to pass along his experience and passion for great cuisine to the rest of the culinary team members aboard our beautiful ships. While at home, Chef Tino enjoys country-style living with his family, cooking simple regional foods from his childhood, foraging for seasonal mushrooms and creating memorable experiences.