Pork Schnitzel with Red Beans and Chow Chow

April 15th, 2014

Pork Schnitzel 1

 

Last week my friend Penny and I had our annual first Spring shopping trip to Asheville.  We always like to stop for lunch at Fig, our favorite French bistro.  It was a lovely day and we ate on the patio.  Penny ordered the Pork Schnitzel with Cranberry Beans and Chow Chow.  Here is how it looked.

Fig Pork Schnitzel She said it had a lot of flavor.  The flattened pork tenderloin was slathered in mustard before being breaded in Panko crumbs and deep fried.  The smooth cranberry beans and piquant chow chow relish sounded to me like the perfect balance of flavors.  So I had to see if I could make it at home.  I am very happy with the results.

Pork Schnitzel 3

 

I could not find cranberry beans, so I substituted simple red beans.  I pan fried the flattened pork tenderloin filets after dipping them in flour, thinned Dijon mustard and Panko crumbs.  I bought the chow chow relish at a local roadside stand.  This made a wonderful meal.

Pork Schnitzel V

 

It feels good to get inspirations from a restaurant and be able to come up with a new and special dish.  Although this came from a French inspired restaurant, it has all of the earmarks of a true Southern dish, albeit with German overtones.  I guess you could call it Global.  I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday at Penny’s Comforts of Home.

PORK SCHNITZEL WITH RED BEANS AND CHOW CHOW

1 (1 1/2 lb.) Pork Tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces.  You should get about 5 pieces
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Dijon mustard thinned with a little water (You may need more)
1 cup Panko crumbs

Enough vegetable oil to come to 1/2 inch in a large skillet

Pound each pieces of pork tenderloin, cut side up, between 2 sheets of waxed paper until the meat is very thin.  Dip each piece into flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.  Then coat with mustard mixture.  Finally dip into panko crumbs to cover.  Place the pieces on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set the crumbs.

Heat oil in the large skillet.  When hot, saute the pork pieces until they are browned on each side.  Watch carefully so they do not burn and adjust heat as needed.  You may have to do this in batches.  When they are well browned they should be done.  Keep warm in slow oven if you are not ready to serve.

Place each individual pork cutlet on top of a serving of the red beans on individual plates.  Top with store bought or homemade chow chow relish.

RED BEANS

Cook beans according to directions on a one pound bag of dried beans.  One hour before beans are done, saute one chopped onion with 1 cup of cubed ham until onions are soft and ham is browned.  Add to the bean pot along with 1/2 cup of cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Season with salt and pepper.  When beans are soft, add 1/4 cup of chopped parsley and serve.

Printable recipe

7 responses to “Pork Schnitzel with Red Beans and Chow Chow”

  1. Penny @ The Comforts of Home says:

    This looks even better than the original! I think pan frying was definitely the way to go. Thanks for linking this up with Tasty Tuesday!
    Hugs,
    Penny

  2. cheri says:

    Hi Penny, I love going out to eat and then trying to re-create the recipe, I have so much fun trying to figure out what herbs and spices are used. Looks like a great time.

  3. Sam Hoffer says:

    Your rendition is much prettier that the restaurant’s one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen cranberries in our market. Red beans work just fine for me.

    Happy Easter to you and David,
    Sam

  4. Lemon Tart says:

    I agree with Sam. It looks delish.

    Madonna
    MakeMineLemon

  5. Karen (Back Road Journal) says:

    I think we are all of the same opinion that your presentation looks much better than the restaurant’s…good for you for creating such a nice dish.

  6. Susan Strasburg says:

    I agree with the others, yours looks so much more appealing! This sounds really delicious and we do eat with our eyes first. I can’t say that I’m familiar with chow chow but after Googling I see it is more common in the southern U.S. It’s something I think I’d like very much too.

  7. L.A. Brown says:

    I love making things from restaurants. And this is one I must try. I’m such a chow chow fan. And so interesting that the whole thing is served on beans. Penny I just wanted to stop in and let you know that I made those tater tots with malt vinegar aioli. Well, I didn’t make the tater tots, I bought some, and I want you to know that that aioli is over the top. I’ll be blogging about it and of course will reference you. Thanks so much for so many great recipes.

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