Midwinter Gastronomy: Schnitzel and the Drink of Gods and Kings

Although we're expecting a little warm-up this week, I had a hankering for some good hearty food this past weekend. Schnitzel was the order of the day.



And so I made Hänchenschnitzel or chicken schnitzel. I bought a chicken breast at the Jennifer Street Market and asked the guy behind the counter if he had some device to flatten it to schnitzel thickness and was given a big negatory on that. I am unsure if this was the result of talking to someone whom I presume was a clerk and not a butcher but it makes me wonder what would happen if a little old lady comes in saying she wanted to make schnitzel and could you please make this chicken breast ¼" thick please. Would they say, "Sorry, ma'am, you're gonna have use your arthritic hands and do it yourself"? Butchers are a dying breed, I guess. Perhaps I need to go in there during the week or earlier in the day. Anyway, because I was left to pound it myself, I bought a brand-spanking new meat tenderizer.

I seasoned the flour and bread crumbs basically as my father taught me – salt, pepper, mustard powder, and garlic powder. The only real difference is that our pepper shaker always has Grains of Paradise in it along with standard black pepper.

In addition to the schnitzel I made Spätzle. It had been a while since I busted out the Spätzle maker which is simply a grater that has a funnel that slides across it. I added a fair amount of nutmeg to the batter and feared that I had given it an overdose but, in the end, my fears were unfounded as it had just the right dosage. Some sweet red cabbage, which proved not to be overly so, and broccoli filled up the rest of our plates.



To accompany our German feast, The Dulcinea and I shared a bottle of Mjød from the Viking Brewing Company which we had bought when we visited the brewery last summer. Mjød is a honey brackett or what you get when you mix mead and beer.



You can see from my less than perfect photo that it's a golden brown color. It has little carbonation and features an aroma that's a mix of honey and caramel. On the palate, Mjød is moderately dry and feels slightly syrupy, although the stuff isn't any more viscous than wine or beer. In addition to the taste of honey, there are fruity overtones in there which hints at a flavor similar to vermouth.