Beyond mystery meat: Let pork tenderloin sub for veal to update cutlets

Pork tenderloin / Getty Images
Pork tenderloin / Getty Images

Breaded cutlets are often thought of as a nightmare from school lunch days of long ago. Remember mystery meat day when cafeterias served a dry slab of ground veal and unidentifiable filler entombed in tough, tasteless, hard-fried crumbs and passed it off as a veal cutlet? To dress it up, they blanketed the cutlets with equally tasteless white cheese, sometimes topped with a squirt of canned tomato sauce. It has often been said that Southerners would eat shoe leather if it was fried, but shoe leather would have been a gourmet's delight compared to that mess.

But if made at home from scratch, cutlets go from nightmarish memories to a food of dreams.

They're nothing more than a slice of meat, beaten thin to make it tender and uniform, then coated with dry bread crumbs and fried to a delicate brown. Crackling crisp on the outside, tender and juicy inside, they are arguably one of the most satisfying ways of giving flavor and some panache to cheap, bland cuts of meat or poultry.

Cutlets are often credited to Italian cooks, and maybe the idea did begin there with those delicious bone-in veal cutlets known as Cotoletta alla Milanese, a memorable dish I recently experienced in Philadelphia. But in most homes, cutlets are made with boneless cuts. There are variations almost everywhere. Some are breaded with crumbs of stale bread and fried in bacon fat, made with everything from veal to chicken, turkey and pork.

Fortunately, the delicately breaded and carefully fried cutlets of the old days did not completely disappear. They've even made something of a comeback in Southern kitchens, thanks in part to a renewed interest in international cooking. However, since veal remains both expensive and controversial, many cooks opt for boneless chicken or turkey breast. While both of those can be quite good, I actually prefer to use pork tenderloin for cutlets.

Due to their low-fat content, pork tenderloins are the least flavorful part of the pig, but when carefully done, this treatment draws out the flavor of the meat while keeping it juicy and tender.

Pork Tenderloin Cutlets

1 pair pork tenderloins (2 to 2 1/2 pounds total)

Salt and black pepper

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs such as marjoram, parsley, thyme or mint

About 1/2 cup flour, spread on a plate

2 large eggs, lightly beaten and spread on a plate

About 1 cup dry bread crumbs, Panko or fine cracker crumbs, spread on a plate

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4-6 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Trim the tenderloins by first removing the excess fat with a sharp knife, then pull away the film-like membrane that covers the muscle.

Cut the tenderloins crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions. Lay them between two sheets of plastic wrap, and beat them out until they're about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, lemon zest and herbs.

Roll each cutlet in flour, coating both sides. Shake off the excess, and dip each cutlet in the egg, coating both sides. Let the excess flow back onto the plate, then lay them in the crumbs. Carefully coat both sides, patting so that the crumbs adhere, and lay them on a clean, dry plate or wire cooling rack. Let them rest for 30 minutes to allow breading to set.

Heat the oven to 150-175 degrees F. Fit a wire cooling rack onto a rimmed sheet pan. Over medium heat, put enough butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet to completely cover the bottom. When the butter is quite hot (the edge of a cutlet should sizzle on contact with it), raise the heat to medium-high and put in enough cutlets to fill the pan without crowding. Fry until bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and brown them on the second side. Remove the from pan, and lay them on the prepared cooling rack. Keep them in the warm oven while remaining cutlets fry. Serve hot with lemon wedges.


NEW AT MILLER'S

Miller's Ale House has gone south of the border, offering a few new menu items with a definite Tex-Mex edge. These include two new quesadillas. One is filled with roasted chile-spiced chicken, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, poblano peppers, onions, pico de gallo and black bean corn salsa, drizzled with creamy red chile sauce. The second is filled with chipotle barbecue pulled pork, cheeses, poblano peppers, onions, pico de gallo and black bean corn salsa then drizzled with chipotle barbecue sauce.

Also new to Miller's menu is Mimi's Fiesta Chicken & Shrimp -- a grilled chicken breast, blackened shrimp, black bean corn salsa, cilantro lime rice, chimichurri, creamy red chile sauce, pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo and queso fresco cheese. This is not a dish for a tender palate, though. Fortunately mine isn't, because the chimichurri has quite a spicy kick to it, but man oh man, was it ever good.

The chipotle barbecue pulled pork is also turned into tacos with shredded cabbage, guacamole, pickled onions, pico de gallo and garlic-lime cream. And there's also a pulled pork sandwich with chipotle barbecue sauce, coleslaw and dill pickles.

But wait! That's not all! Night owls will appreciate the new late-night happy hour with discounted prices on select appetizers and sandwiches, starting at just $6, like margarita flatbread and mini-Mex Nachos; and alcoholic beverages and pitchers, starting at $4 for house margaritas. Late-night happy hour happens 10 p.m. to close Sunday to Thursday.

Miller's Ale House now has two locations in Chattanooga: 2119 Gunbarrel Road and 574 Northgate Drive.

(READ MORE: Miller's Ale House opens second Chattanooga restaurant)

BACK AT BOJANGLES

Eating fish for Lent? Bojangles had brought back its Bojangler fish sandwich for a limited time.

(READ MORE: Bojangles shuts down its first Chattanooga restaurant after 40 years)

"The Bojangler is unlike any other fish sandwich on the market," says chef Marshall Scarborough, vice president of menu and culinary innovation, crediting the restaurant proprietary spice blend for the sandwich's "unmistakable flavor."

In addition to Bo's Famous Seasoning, the crispy fish filet is topped with cheese and tartar sauce on a buttery bun.

Customers can skip the line when they order ahead on the Bojangles app, available in the Apple app store or via Google Play.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or annebraly.com.

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