Jägerschnitzel

This is a traditional German recipe, done with either veal or pork (pork is used here), with a mushroom "hunter" sauce. Note the use of a dry white wine. If you're using veal instead of pork, consider using a dry red, such as pinot noir, the most widely used red in Germany. Serve this with spaetzle.

Ingredients

• 6 pieces of pork cubesteak (the average supermarket won't have this, but the butcher there can make it for you)
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 dozen telicherry black peppercorns
• Several fresh sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups dry white wine (prefer a dry German or Austrian riesling; you can tell a dry riesling by the word trocken in the label; since you're only using 2 cups of it, the rest of the bottle is perfect to serve with the dish)
• 2 shallots
• 12 oz. sliced white mushrooms
• 1/4 lb. pancetta, minced
• Dash of paprika
• Flour
• 2 large eggs, mixed 50/50 with water and beaten
• A lot of breadcrumbs (I end up using half-a-carton)
• Cracked black pepper and kosher (or sea) salt
• Butter
• Olive oil

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beef stock, onion, carrot, celery, peppercorn, and herbs and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for two hours.
2. Pound out pork cutlets (if you got cubesteak, they should spread out very flat), and rub both sides with cracked black pepper and kosher salt.
3. Coat each cutlet with flour, then dip in egg mixture, and then coat with breadcrumbs. Store breaded cutlets in the refrigerator until they are fried (this helps the coating stay on the cutlet as it is cooking).
4. In another medium saucepan, cook pancetta in a dollop of butter until it is brown.
5. Add shallots and continue cooking until translucent
6. Add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are fully sauteed.
7. Deglaze with the wine, and cook until half of it is evaporated.
8. Strain beef stock into mushroom mixture. Add paprika to taste and continue boiling
9. Make a roux by mixing butter and flour in a heated pan until it is golden brown. Add roux to gravy and continue cooking until the gravy thickens.
10. In a wide pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter with olive oil and raise to high heat. Fry pork cutlets until they are golden brown on each side (I wait until there's the slightest hint of burning on the edges).
11. Serve Jäger sauce over schnitzel and spaetzel.