Low Carb Gluten Free Wiener Schnitzel

Low Carb Pork Cutlets frying in olive oil in a teflon pan!

“Susie.”

“Yes?”

“We need to talk.”

“Is this my Conscience again?”

“No.”

“Is this God?”

“No.”

“It would be more fun if we did this as a Knock Knock joke, you know.”

“That’s trite. I don’t do Knock Knock.”

“So…you prefer 20 Questions then?”

“Susie, we need to talk about your technique.”

“My technique? You haven’t even read the recipe yet.”

“Real cooks don’t use PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) Teflon pans. They don’t try to build pan sauces with them either. It’s just. Well. It’s just wrong! You Susie T. Gibbs, are an imposter! Quit masquerading as a cook!”

“Who are you?”

“I’ll have my people come by and neutralize you. They’ll take all your PFOA non-stick cookware away.”

“I need them.”

“No one needs non-stick cookware.”

“Have you ever fried an egg in a stainless steel pan?”

“Dozens of times.”

“Have you ever done it in a cheap stainless steel pan? With the yolk intact?”

“You’re stalling. You’re not cooking an egg in this recipe.”

Tender Breading should stay ON the pork and not be left
in the pan!

“True. I’m cooking tender breading that is high risk for having the breading fall off the meat and wind up lonely, left behind in the bottom of the pan. That’s even scarier than cooking a soft fried egg in a stainless steel pan.”

“Hmmm. Well bah! You claim to be a Southerner. No self-respecting Southerner would cook a chicken fried piece of meat in a non-stick, lightweight aluminum pan. True Southerners wouldn’t be caught dead without a trusted, family heirloom, the cast iron frying pan.”

“True. I’m a Super-Southerner. But you can call me Texan. And I don't use cast iron pans for dishes with high acid, especially lemon, it gives it a weird flavor. Who are you again?”

“Look don’t make me get all ugly on your behonkus. Don’t you KNOW how bad PFOA is for your health and the environment?”

“Yes, sadly I do know how it exacerbates many asthmatics, and that it outgases, especially if the surface is nicked or worn. I’ m sure it’s probably carcinogenic and maybe even a hormone disruptor. However, there are some who debunk this belief, that PFOA exposure in our food web isn’t coming from the frying pan and tumpin’ our tubby aspirin bottles in the fire! That the PFOA showing up is coming from some place else…more insidious…”

“Ahem, well! The very fact that it makes some people have worsening asthma symptoms is reason enough to change! And my friend W has many choices for non-stick cookware that doesn’t rely on PFOA Teflon in order to provide the non-stick substrate. And they are very affordable.”

“*snort* I don’t call $100.00 for a 10” pan, affordable. Alton is that you?”

“What? Well! A good pan is an investment!”

“Yes it is an investment. But I’m just lucky to have food to put on the table. We do what we can. Alton what are you doin’ slummin’ around these parts? Don’t you have an Iron Chef show to moderate or asphalt to feast upon? Aren’t you supposed to be busy picking the next Food Network Star? You know we’re all breathlessly waiting for the next one.”

“Why, yes, as a matter of fact I do. Have asphalt to feast upon and Food Network Stars to make.”

“How’s your road rash?”

“Wha? Wha? Well. Ahem. I have to go now. Just know we’re on to you, Missy! You’re in danger of losing your DFSW (Delicate Flower Of Southern Womanhood) status. We’re watching you.”

“Thanks Alton. Tell W she really needs to come down on the cost of those Scan Pans, ok? I’d be your Huckleberry for the right price…”

***********

Low Carb Wiener Schnitzel with Rosemary Cream Sauce
and Roasted Smashed Turnips & Cauliflower.

Sheesh! You try to produce a decent low carb version of a carbalicious, high fat nightmare that dang near forms a complete food group in Texas – the “Chicken Fried Anything” category. And all you get is grief. Sometimes you have to make compromises, right?

First off, my apologies to anyone of German descent. I call this Wiener Schnitzel, but those of you who have eaten authentic Wiener Schnitzel will soon know this is a pale imposter.

It isn’t even made from veal – the traditional meat of Wiener Schnitzel. And I swanny, there is nary a breadcrumb in sight, no eggs, no milk wash, none of that. Heck, I probably haven’t even used the right spices in it! But I'm stubborn enough and call it Wiener Schnitzel, I will!

I used pork tenders, on sale for $2.77/lb. That’s right, the entire, 2 pork tender pack (pork tenders usually come 2 to a pack) cost about $8.50. From 3 pounds of pork tenderloin, I had maybe 3-4 ounces of waste from the silverskin and membrane that got trimmed.

I got 4 servings out of the Wiener Schnitzel portion of the pork tenderloin and got 2 chateaubriand pork tender roasts that yielded about 3 servings in each roast. So doing the math, I got 10 portions of lean protein for $8.50, or about $0.85/portion.

We have lean, very tender, pork tenderloin that you’re going to love! And pork goes on sale frequently – even the hormone free stuff, like this pork tender!  No one will be able to convince me you can’t eat controlled carb nutrition on a tight food budget! Especially when you cook from scratch (we call that scratch-cookin’ in Texas).

The crumb coating in this dish is not strictly necessary. You can very easily cook the pork medallions, unbreaded and you don’t even have to pound them, simply brown them on all sides and finish them in a 350° oven for about 4-5 minutes. Then proceed to make the pan sauce.

If you aren’t going to bread the medallions, I would NOT use a non-stick pan. Use your stainless steel pan or other uncoated pan. It makes a heartier sauce because of the fond (brown bits) that develop on the bottom of the pan when browning the pork. The browned bits of fond add flavor and depth to a sauce, especially when the pan is deglazed with a dry wine or spirit – or stock, for those of you who seek a non-alcoholic version.

There are no real measurements for the ingredients of this recipe. The quantity doesn’t need to be exact. Your recipe won’t be ruined if you use 1/8 teaspoon less garlic powder or use an extra tablespoon of olive oil. So know that the measurements are just a general guide for you. Do NOT whip out your measuring spoons and kill yourself measuring these things!

Don’t do it! I will sick Alton on you. He appears to need another job.

Wiener Schnitzel

Serves – 4

Prep Time – 30 Minutes

Cook Time – 30 Minutes

Difficulty – Intermediate (Well, it’s really easy, but since there is trimming and pounding involved, most beginners will probably be too askeered to try it. Chickens! They won’t know what they are missing!)

Low Carb Wiener Schnitzel with Rosemary Cream Sauce

For the Pork Cutlets -

2 Pork Tenderloin, tail sections (8 pieces about 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick)

1-2 Tbsp Country Style Dijon Mustard

2 tsp. Granulated Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp. Rosemary Leaves, fresh

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Dried Parsley Flakes

2/3c Pork Rind Crumbs

1/3c Green Can Parmesan

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 cloves garlic

Olive Oil for Frying

For the Sauce -

½ c. Onion, chopped

1/3 c. Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

1 Lemon, zested

½ Lemon, juiced

¼ c. Dry Vermouth or Dry White Wine

1 c. Chicken Broth

2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

½ tsp. Rosemary Leaves, fresh

1/2 c. Heavy Cream

4 Lemon Wedges, Garnish (optional)

Wash and dry pork tenderloins.

Spend a few minutes up front, removing the thin silverskin membrane from the tenders. Use a sharp knife and insert a slight upwards pressure to cleanly remove strips of the silverskin.

A little bit of time taken here will result in a huge quality difference in the final dish. Silverskin is tough and like a rubber band. It will never dissolve or get tender.

Cut pork tenderloin into sections. The thickest center section can be left whole and used as a small roast. These roasts are the best part of the tender and cook quickly. They are the thickest part.

Cut remaining tapered portion of the pork tenderloin into 1-1/2” or 2” medallions. These can be used in so many types of dishes! Not only Wiener Schnitzel, or Pork Milanese but also dishes such as Pork Piccata or Stroganoff or eleventy billion different stir fry dishes.

Season medallions with a tiny bit of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, granulated garlic and rosemary leaves. If you want more flavor, bruise the rosemary leaves by hitting the stem with the back of your knife. This will release more essential oil and provide greater bouquet. Massage Dijon mustard into the meat along with the spices. Lightly coat with olive oil and allow to marinate in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours or a minimum of 1 hour. The marinade for this is not a “wet” marinade. Use only enough olive oil to lightly enrobe the meat and help the spices adhere.

Cut each medallion almost in half, but leave it connected.

This is called butterflying. Butterflying the medallion makes it easier to pound into a thin cutlet.

Place butterflied medallion into plastic bag. Lightly oil the inside of the bag with olive oil to make it slippery. You don’t want the meat to tear. Oiling the bag helps keep that from happening.

Lightly pound medallion into a paillard, an evenly thin cutlet.

The cutlets should be about ¼” thick.

Using the knife on the food processor, process a bag of pork skins into fine crumbs about the size of Panko bread crumbs.

Mix 2/3 cup of pork rind crumbs with 1/3 cup of Parmesan (the Green Can is fine). You may not need the entire 1 cup to bread the cutlets. Mix crumbs and cheese with freshly ground black pepper, about ½ tsp. of granulated garlic and dried parsley.

An empty Parmesan Cheese can or a large, empty spice bottle like a Tone’s bottle works great as a shaker bottle.

Shake the parm-pork rind mixture over the meat. Coat both sides of the meat. The olive oil the pork cutlets marinated in will make the crumbs adhere.

Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large non-stick pan. Add whole cloves of garlic. Heat pan over medium high heat.

When the pan is well-heated and the garlic is starting to take on color, add 4 cutlets. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes per side. Only turn once! Remove the garlic if it gets too dark!

Brown each side of pork and remove from pan when done.  Place on rack and allow to drain.

Place rack in preheated 200 °, while you cook the rest of the cutlets. This will keep the pork cutlets warm. Repeat cooking process with all the medallions. You may need to add more olive oil to the pan. Do not throw out any of the breading mixture left in the pan! You will need these to flavor the sauce!

With the last batch of medallions, add chopped onion and sauté until tender.  Add chopped parsley.

Remove the last cutlets and prepare cream sauce.

Deglaze pan with white wine. I use dry vermouth because it’s cheap, lasts a long time and doesn’t have to be stored in the fridge. It also has a convenient screw cap! Reduce the liquid by half.

Add 2 dashes of Worcestershire and chicken broth. Reduce this liquid by half.

Add cream and allow to simmer lightly.

Grate the zest of one lemon directly into the simmering sauce. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the pan.

Add rosemary leaves.

Stir, allow sauce to reduce and thicken, then taste.

Adjust seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Remove pork cutlets from warming oven and blot any noticeable olive oil on the surface of the cutlets.

Serve warm with cream sauce, about 2-3 tablespoons per serving and 2 cutlets per serving. (Each cutlet is about 1-1/2 to 2 ounces each.)

Nutritional Information

Wiener Schnitzel - Full Recipe -

Wiener Schnitzel - Single Serving – 2 Cutlets (About 4 oz Raw Weight)

Rosemary Cream Sauce - Full Recipe

Rosemary Cream Sauce - Single Serving - 3 Tbsp & 1 Lemon Wedge per serving

Susie T’s Notes –

If you want to conserve carbs in the sauce portion of this recipe, you can reduce the amount of onions and also reduce the amount of wine and cream. Replace the volume with chicken broth. You can also sub out the heavy cream for Greek Yogurt. But if you do that, make sure to add it off the heat and don't reheat it. The yogurt will separate.

This dish reminds me of the breaded venison and elk we used to eat growing up. That was breaded in all purpose flour and fried in butter and vegetable oil. This uses the pork rind crumbs (which are mainly protein and monounsaturated fat) and parmesan cheese to replace the high carb, high glycemic flour. The olive oil is a much better choice than high Omega 6 Polyunsaturated Oils.

Low Carb Wiener Schnitzel with Rosemary Cream Sauce
and smashed Roasted Turnips & Cauliflower makes
a satisfying comfort meal.

Although I would stop short of calling this a “healthy” dish, with a consistent low carb diet, you can eat special meals like this without creating a health issue. Fat is my friend in this low carb diet.

Because I must be sensitive to how many calories I eat if I even want to think about losing weight, I only eat these true comfort meals once in a while. Some of you might be way luckier than I am and can eat this food every day and still lose weight! But your mileage may vary and I stop short of making diet recommendations for anyone other than myself.

It’s just a great recipe. Very flavorful and reminds me of my misspent youth! Garnish with a lemon wedge and say, "Guten Tag!"