Pork Cotoletta With Watercress, Fennel, Radicchio & Peas
As desert island dishes go, cotoletta would be right up at the top of the pile. And so it should be: a large cutlet – generally veal or pork – crumbed, fried golden and served simply with sea salt and a good squeeze of lemon. What’s not to like about that?
And as great combos go, a golden cotoletta with a lemony pile of leaves and a glass of Pieropan Soave Classico 2015 – with ample body and laser-like acidity to navigate tricky textures – is such brilliant a match. Buon appetito!
INGREDIENTS
– Serves 2 –
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
2 pork cutlets
50 g fresh breadcrumbs or panko
20 g finely grated Parmesan
2 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
zest of 1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
100 ml vegetable oil
plain flour, for dusting
a handful of picked watercress
½ radicchio, finely shredded
½ fennel bulb, finely sliced
4 radishes, finely sliced
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
lemon cheeks or wedges, to serve
Dijon mustard, to serve
METHOD
Pour yourself a glass of medium-full bodied dry white wine, such as Pinot Gris, Garganaega, or Chardonnay – we drank the 2015 Pieropan Soave Classico.
Blanch the peas in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes. Refresh under cold water and drain well.
Loosely wrap the cutlets in cling film and flatten with a meat mallet (or rolling pin) until about 1.5 cm thick.
Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and combine. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate shallow bowl.
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.
Dust the cutlets in flour, shaking off any excess, and then dip into the egg. Allow any excess egg to drip off the cutlets and then coat well in the breadcrumb mixture.
Fry the cutlets for 6 minutes on each side, turning regularly to ensure they don’t burn.
Meanwhile, add the peas to a bowl with the watercress, radicchio, fennel and radish. Just before serving, dress the salad with the lemon juice and olive oil, season to taste and toss.
Serve the cutlets with the salad, lemon cheeks and mustard on the side.
