Mennonite Schnitzel

This isn’t the breaded, fried schnitzel you’ll find at a German restaurant. Mennonite schnitzel is a braised dish, closer to a smothered steak. Thick veal steaks get dusted in flour, browned in rendered beef fat, then simmered low and slow under a blanket of softened onions until fork-tender.

The cast iron pan is doing a lot of the flavor work here. Browning the flour-coated steaks in beef fat creates a crust that later dissolves into the braising liquid, thickening it naturally into gravy. The onions cook in that same fat first, going soft and sweet before they pile on top of the meat.

Sour cream goes in during the last 20 minutes. Adding it too early and it can break and turn grainy. Stirred in at the end over very low heat, it melts into the pan juices to create a silky, tangy cream gravy that clings to every slice.

This is old-world farmhouse cooking at its most honest. Simple ingredients, patient technique, and a result that’s far greater than the short ingredient list suggests.

Chef Tips

• Use a well-seasoned cast iron pan. The even heat distribution prevents hot spots that could burn the flour coating.
• Cook the onions low and slow until they’re completely soft. Crunchy onions in the gravy are a texture mismatch.
• Keep the heat very low after adding sour cream. High heat will curdle it and ruin the smooth gravy.
• Turn the steaks only once during the braise. Flipping frequently breaks apart the flour crust.

Variations

• Use pork loin chops instead of veal for a more affordable version that braises just as well.
• Add a teaspoon of caraway seeds with the onions for a more traditionally Central European flavor.
• Stir in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard with the sour cream for a sharper, more complex gravy.