Homemade cotoletta

Cotoletta is really just another word for schnitzel, but while the idea is the same, there’s a difference between commercial schnitzel and the homemade variety. Given that a recent trip to the supermarket resulted in the lady getting my bread order wrong and therefore an excess of the stuff, I thought the best way to finish it and try another experiment in Italian cooking, was to make my own cotoletta.

Luckily I had the opportunity to try one at home last night myself, meaning this time around I was the guinea pig and not my fiancé. I bought some veal scaloppine, although I actually don’t know if the Italians use veal or another white meat. Chicken or pork would probably do as well, as long as they’re thin slices.

I was pleased with the bread I was using, although I would have to make cotoletta again in the future with different bread to see if it makes any difference. The bread was a golden loaf made from corn flour, and while it didn’t grate easily for breadcrumbs, I felt it made for a tasty option. It had a few seeds in it, too, but they either got grated as well or didn’t stick properly.

So on grating the bread, I dipped the veal into raw egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Generally, I’m not a fussy person but stupidly I tried all of this without getting my hands dirty with egg. I was halfway through before realising that this was an impossible endeavour, and that not only this, the breadcrumbs wouldn’t stick properly unless pressed onto the veal by hand.

Later, into a pan with a little bit of oil and you have a very nice homemade schnitzel which beats any of the pre-cooked stuff you get at the shops. On the other hand, I could actually discover a butcher who might do this all for me, but that would take the fun out of it.

PS While my suggestion of cotoletta was first met with scepticism by my fiancé, I managed to conquer the man via my breadcrumb technique. Very nice, crunchy cotoletta, I believe was the response. The fact that the bread was difficult to grate might have less to do with the type of bread, and more to do with the fact that the bread should be quite dry....

Photo | Flickr