Israeli Shnitzel

Hey! It's been awhile. I knowwww.  Passover happened, then I went out of town, I've been working lots, having adventures, excuses excuses... Pretty much, the moral of the story is that, though I actually have been cooking and eating, I haven't been photographing it.
This will change. 
In the meantime, enjoy this recipe for Israeli shnitzel. 

Shnitzel baguette in Jaffa

Shnitzel is  hugely popular in Israel.
As street food, it's served alongside shawarma and falafel in most shops, and is generally eaten in pita or a baguette. Topped with hummus, tahini, Israeli pickles, cabbage salad and parsley, it is the best lunch I can imagine. 
It's sold frozen in stores, with an almost equally popular vegetarian version filled with sweetcorn and sometimes other vegetables. 
We also used to eat shnitzel every couple of weeks on the kibbutz.  

Making shnitzel on Hannukah in Herziliya

Mind you, I used to hate shnitzel day on the kibbutz, despite the fact that it was excellent, because we couldn't finish work until every last cutlet was fried off! Generally, the kitchen crew began their days the earliest out of the volunteer jobs- (6 am, 6 days a week!) but finished whenever we were done cooking. I was often already napping/laying in the sun by noon.  But never on shnitzel day! The agony of those longer days were tempered by the satisfaction of the final product. Our kibbutz chefs were great at making shnitzel, and both being from Argentina, served it with lemon wedges, as milanesa is served in South America. YUM. 

 The photograph below is of the shnitzel that Anna and I made for our hosts on our farm in Ireland!

 

Shnitzel

Ingredients

1 lb turkey cutlets, pounded thinly

1-2 eggs

Oil 

Breadcrumbs (about a cup)

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, to taste

Lemon wedges, to serve

Preparation

Mix the breadcrumbs and spices together in a wide, shallow bowl. Taste, and when it isn't bland (but not overpowering), set aside.

Crack an egg into another shallow bowl and whisk. You can add milk, but I don't, in the spirit of keeping it kosher.

Pat your cutlets dry. You don't want the hot oil spitting at you!

Heat oil in a large pan.

Dip each cutlet into the egg and then press each one firmly into the breadcrumbs so they are evenly coated.

Fry each cutlet in the oil- since they're thin, it won't take very long. About 3-5 minutes, but it depends on how thin they are. I would say to fry one, cut into it, see how it went, and then sort of go from there.

Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over- really brightens the flavor! 

This can be served on pita with hummus, tahini, salad and pickles. Or, can be eaten with a fork and knife. YOUR CALL.  

It's so friggin easy! Great for a party, and a very basic recipe that you can riff on. 

 Enjoy!