Old School Seasoned Breadcrumbs = Tasty Breaded Pork Cutlets

This week was a bit of a throw-back to my childhood. Any time I use pre-seasoned breadcrumbs I think of being a kid. These days we have all these fancy breadcrumb options, like panko, that are fantastic additions to everyone’s pantry, but once and a while I feel nostalgic and breakout the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs my mom used to cook with. Costco had a salt on pork cutlets, so we’ve been eating a lot of them. They’re great because they cook up fast and taste fantastic. I mixed my old school seasoned breadcrumbs with my mom’s favorite sprinkle cheese, pecorino, for a cheese, salty crust. If you use thin cutlets, they take less than 3 minutes to cook per side and you don’t use a ton of oil so it’s not exactly a terribly unhealthy dish. Paired with my sweet and tender roasted broccolini, you’ve got a meal in 12 minutes!

Breaded Pork Cutlets
A Girl and Her Kitchen

4-8 pork cutlets, about ¼ inch thick (can pound them between two sheets of plastic wrap is too thick)
Salt and pepper
1 c seasoned breadcrumbs (panko ok too)
1/2 c grated pecorino romano cheese
3-6 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 c flour
1 egg plus 2 tsp cold water
Lemon wedges

Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Make a breading station. Using three wide bowls (or large plates with a lip) place the flour in one bowl, lightly beat the egg and water in a second bowl, and mix the breadcrumbs and cheese in the third. Dip one pork cutlet in the flour, covering both sides, shaking off the excess. Then dip the cutlet in egg mixture so that it is completely covered, letting excess drip off. Finally dredge the cutlet in the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan. Test the oil for heat by dropping in a pinch of breadcrumbs…if they sizzle a bit it’s ready. Place 3-4 cutlets in the pan at a time (don’t over crowd the pan). Cook 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Set them aside and sprinkle with a touch more slat while hot. Add more oil to the pan if needed (only need a thin layer across the bottom). If the pan gets too hot, turn to medium. Serve pork cutlets hot with a wedge of lemon.

Roasted Balsamic Broccolini
A Girl and Her Kitchen

1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed
Salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss broccolini with olive oil, balsamic, garlic, salt and pepper. Lay the broccolini out on a baking sheet in a single even layer. Roast for 12 minutes. Serve warm.