Chicken,  Dinner,  Pork,  Veal

Pork Cutlets a la Purgatory

September 12, 2011

During my recent, and can you believe, still ongoing ankle injury, I was forced to do a lot of couch time with my foot elevated and iced.  Lying around has never been something I could tolerate; but not having any other choice, I settled down with some good books…and my remote control.  I was overwhelmed by the selection of reality shows, popular mini series, survivors, bachelors, dancers, housewives, who’s hot, who’s not, home staging, selling, buying, remolding,  hoarding… so much to see, so little time.  I settled on Millionaire Matchmaker, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, last season’s Boardwalk Empire series and of course, the Food Network channel.  I wonder now how my viewing choices reflect my personality 🙂

Not having to challenge my choice on watching the Food Network, I’ll continue forward on that note.  I passionately watch the chefs mostly to get ideas, learn new tips and frankly, anything that has to do with food truly grabs my attention.  Ann Burrell is one of my favorites to watch; in her casual, witty entertaining way around the kitchen she shares a wealth of information and great recipes.

Ann’s Veal Chop Holsten Schnitzel, a schnitzel topped with a sunny side up egg and caper sauce, inspired me to make this with an Italian twist. Replacing the caper sauce with marinara drew on the taste of my Eggs in Purgatory.  I used thinly pounded pork cutlets, but veal or chicken, would be excellent.  I continued with the breading and sautéing of the cutlets as I have in my Schnitzel recipe and serving the meal by placing the cutlets in pool of marinara and topping with the sunny side up egg.

What more can I say, each tender bite of pork was bathed in a sauce of creamy yolk swirling in the spicy marinara.  Oh. yum.

Pork Cutlets  a la Purgatory

For the cutlets:

4 thinly pounded pork, chicken or veal cutlets

2 eggs

1 cup of flour

2 cups of breadcrumbs

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil and butter for sautéing

For the marinara:

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes – blended to a puree

¼ cup finely diced onion

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional for spiciness

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

¼ cup red wine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sunny side up eggs:

4 egg

Olive oil for sautéing

For the cutlets:  Prepare a breading station with 3 large dishes; one with flour, the second with 2 beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons of water, and the third with the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Place a cutlet in the flour and lightly dust, shaking off excess.  Dip into the egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture.  Place on a sheet tray and refrigerate covered.  The cutlets can be made up to 1 day ahead or at least one hour.  When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Heat a large skillet with a combination of butter and oil.  Work in batches to sauté each cutlet until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes in total.  Place in oven to keep warm.

For a quick marinara:  In a medium saucepan, lightly sauté the onions and crushed red pepper until soft. Add in the pureed tomatoes, red wine, balsamic vinegar, dried basil, salt, pepper, garlic, and bay leaf.  Simmer gently for about 35-40 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaf and discard.

For the sunny side up eggs:  Coat a nonstick pan lightly with olive oil and fry the 4 eggs sunny side up, about 4 to 5 minutes with the whites set and the yolks runny.  The eggs are not flipped but covered to gently steam and cook the egg whites.

To plate:  Place each cutlet on a pool of marinara sauce and top with a sunny side up egg.

I love being in the kitchen. Early mornings, soft music, a hot espresso. Easing into the preparation of delicious meals. Glancing through cookbooks, gathering inspiration and planning my day. I look forward to the cycles of the seasons, the pleasures of tasting and savoring and sharing this with those dear to me. Weekends are special to me as my week days are often rushed, but still I create the ambiance, light the candles, set the table and uncork the wine.

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