Rachel Khoo: Grandma knows best

My Austrian grandmother was a thrifty woman. Raising six children on her own was demanding on a low income, meaning that devising clever ideas for making clothes, food and other necessities stretch that little bit further was an absolute must. On special occasions my mother and her siblings were treated to Wiener (Viennese) Schnitzel. Grandma worked her magic, bashing out a miniature morsel of veal to make it stretch to the size of a plate; dusting, dipping and then frying it into a crisp schnitzel. Although she is no longer alive to tell me to darn my socks rather than buy new ones, I still like to make Grandma’s schnitzel to remind me that being thrifty can be tasty, too.

Grandma Schönwetter’s Schnitzel

Serves two

2 (100g) veal escalopes*

2 tbsp plain flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 heaped tbsp dried breadcrumbs

Rapeseed or sunflower oil

1 lemon, cut into wedges

*Veal is the traditional schnitzel but you can use pork tenderloin or turkey/chicken breast

Season the meat on both sides then put it between two sheets of clingfilm and flatten it with a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin until it is roughly ½cm thick. Place the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in separate dishes lined up in a row. Lightly dust the meat in the flour, then dip in the egg and finally coat with breadcrumbs. In a large frying pan pour in enough oil to fill the pan by ½cm and place on a medium-high heat. To test whether the oil is hot enough for frying, dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil bubbles steadily, then it is hot enough (turn down the heat if the oil bubbles vigorously). Fry one or both schnitzels (you may need to fry one schnitzel at a time — it’s better not to overcrowd the pan) for 2-3 minutes on each side or until a deep golden colour and cooked through. Remove and drain off the excess oil on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges, buttery new potatoes and a fresh green salad.