#FoodieExtravaganza ~ Pork Schnitzel with a Caper Butter Sauce

Pork Schnitzel with Lemon Caper Butter

Welcome to October's reveal day for #FoodieExtravaganza! Today we are highlighting the deliciously versatile protein: pork. Our hostess this month is Lauren at From Gate To Plate. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of the month. If you are a blogger and you're interested in joining in the fun, visit us at our Facebook Foodie Extravaganza page. You can also visit our past party submissions on our Pinterest Foodie Extravaganza board .

What makes a schnitzel a schnitzel? Apparently it's the method of cooking thinly pounded meat at a fairly high temp in oil / butter to get a crisped exterior with a moist and juicy, perfectly cooked interior (read more about the history of schnitzel, the name, the traditional cooking method and traditional sides at Daring Gourmet). That is exactly what you get with this recipe. We all LOVED it. I tweaked the original recipe which calls for mushrooms to use capers instead and when tasting the sauce found the (cheap) wine taste a little off putting, but when it came together the sauce beautifully complemented the moist, tender, flavorful pork chops. My sister did a fantastic job cooking these beauties - getting dinner on the table in the evenings is definitely a group effort when you have a 2 year old in the house! Lindsey's bedtime is around 7:30pm which means dinner for her no later than 6:00 - 6:15pm, tubby around 6:30 - 6:45pm, teeth brushed, changed into pajamas, maybe a few minutes of a movie if there's time and headed to her room to read a book or two and sing her lullaby by 7:15. It's a pretty set timeline, and she really needs her routine to get a decent night of sleep (which has been an issue since she was a newborn - she is not the biggest fan of sleep). So as you can tell, all of this happens over the course of time when I would love to be settled in the kitchen whipping up something delicious. So, instead we eat really late (like 8:00pm), or I have to turn it over to my most capable sister and 16-year old kitchen assistant when it's time to get Lindsey upstairs for her bath. I'm pretty useless in the kitchen between tubby and putting her down to sleep. Every once in a blue moon we eat before she goes to bed (like on leftover nights, or Papa Johns nights!) but the rest of the time, we all eat together on the couch watching Supernatural once baby girl is down for the night. :)

See all the October Pork #FoodieExtravaganza dishes here: 
BBQ Pulled Pork with Mac and Cheese Flatbread by From Gate to Plate
Chili Verde Pork Posole by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Freezer-friendly Spicy Pork Burrito by Brunch with Joy
Healthy Sausage and Rice by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Italian Sausage No Crust Quiche by Cookin' and Craftin'
Jamie Olivier's Pork Roast with Crackling by G'Gina's Kitchenette
Mojo Shredded Pork with Black Beans and Rice by Our Good Life
Parmesan Spinach Stuffed Pork Loin by Cooking with Carlee
Pork and Apple Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Pork Chops with Spiced Apples by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Pork Meatball Mini Subs by The Freshman Cook
Pork Schnitzel by Making Miracles
Spicy Sticky Pork Ribs by Food Lust People Love
Sweet and Sour Pork by Tara's Multicultural Table
Thai Basil Meatballs with Peanut-Basil Sauce Two Ways by Caroline's Cooking

Thanks for joining us this month and hope you come back to see what we're celebrating next month! 

Pork Schnitzel with a Caper Butter Sauce adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients
6 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
olive oil as needed

Caper Butter Sauce
1/4 pound butter
2 tsp Gourmet Garden garlic paste
1/2 cup dry white wine plus 1 TBS, divided
2 - 3 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

3 TBS capers, drained
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Pound the pork chops with a flat meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. Press the pork into the crumbs to bread thoroughly; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the 1/2 cup white wine and capers. Allow to simmer and combine for a few minutes. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Stir together the cornstarch and remaining TBS wine, then add to the butter sauce. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork cutlets a few at a time until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with reserved butter sauce drizzled over the top.