Pork Schnitzel with Mustardseed Spaetzle

Ingredients

• 600 g pork tenderloin
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups dry or panko breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper
• butter and vegetable oil, for cooking
• lemon wedges, for serving

Mustardseed Spaetzle:

• 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) grainy mustard
• ½ tsp fine salt, plus extra for the pot
• 6 large eggs      
• 5 Tbsp (75 mL) water
• Butter, for the pan
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp (8 g) chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

1. Cut the pork tenderloin into 8 pieces.  Place each portion, one at a time, into a re-sealable bag and flatten using the flat side of a meat tenderizer or even the bottom of a pot.
2. Measure the flour onto a plate and whisk the eggs lightly in a separate bowl.  Place the breadcrumbs onto another plate and season lightly, stirring to mix.
3. Melt a bit of butter along with the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Dip each pork tender portion in the flour, shaking off any excess, and then dip this into the egg, followed by a complete coating of the breadcrumbs.  Place the schnitzels into the hot pan (you may have to cook them in batches) and cook for about 4 minutes on each side.  Serve the schnitzel with wedges of lemon on the side.

For the Mustardseed Spaetzle:

1. In a mixing bowl, stir the flour, grainy mustard, and salt.
2. Break the eggs into a separate bowl, add the water and loosen them with a fork. Pour the eggs into the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir the dough—it will be very sloppy and wet. Once combined, stir the batter vigorously, lifting your spoon up, letting the batter fall and slapping it against the side of the bowl. Let the batter rest, uncovered, on the counter for 30 minutes, or cover and chill if making further ahead (you can make the batter up to a day ahead).
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour the batter into a disposable piping bag (no tip needed). Cut a ½-inch (1.2 cm) opening in the end of the bag. Hold the piping bag in one hand, perpendicular to the pot (so you can control the flow of the batter), and a pair of scissors in the other. Gently squeeze the piping bag so that the batter falls and use the scissors to cut steadily and quickly to create the individual spaetzle. By the time you finish piping the batter, the spaetzle will have floated to the top of the pot. Drain the spaetzle into a colander and rinse to cool them. You can chill the spaetzle at this point in an airtight container until ready to heat and serve.
4. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt some butter until it froths. When the frothing subsides, add the spaetzle and spread it to fill the pan. Cook, without stirring, for 3 minutes to allow the spaetzle to brown on the bottom. Stir the spaetzle to loosen them and heat through, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste, toss with a little chopped parsley and serve immediately.

** Fancy tools aren’t needed for this recipe. I used to own a spaetzle maker, a metal board with holes and a slider attachment to drop the spaetzle dough in pieces into the pot, but I lost it ages ago. This is why I came up with the method above, which I actually prefer now, especially over my attempt at using a colander and spatula, which ended up clogging up the colander and making a mess. If you happen to have a spaetzle maker, please do use it (and don’t misplace it like me).