Pork Schnitzel and Camden Pale Ale

 Nobody would be surprised if a blogger decided to write about matching food with wine. The joys of matching Cru Classe Pauillac with roast rack of lamb or a Sancerre with a Friuts de mer are obvious, but when it comes to beer, there are very few people who will confidently say that they matched their dinner with lovely Gose or their pudding worked really well with a Wee Heavy! There are, of course exceptions to this: Garrett Oliver's book "The Brewmaster's Table" being a notable example. However, there are also some who believe that food and beer is not an idea that needs any consideration, these are the people who believe that the matching of food and drink starts and finishes with the question "cheese and onion or salt and vinegar?"

For the next year I am going to attempt to match a beer with my dinner for one day every weekend. The idea is that I will produce a recipe and its beer match, with a rationale for my choices This may not work every time and I will try to be honest about my mistakes. This starts today. 

I have been making Schnitzel for many years, the dish originates in Austria (though the Germans dispute this), and is really some meat beaten flat, bread crumbed and fried. It is very seldom served with noodles (extra points if you get the reference) The classic schnitzel is made with veal but mine is made with pork tenderloin. Incidentally, veal in the UK is no longer the ethical nightmare it was thirty years ago. No calves are kept in crates and their life is much longer and more pleasant. From the best producers is now reared outdoors when possible and actually makes the dairy industry much more ethically sound and profitable.

Pork Schnitzel

• One Pork Tenderloin
• Two Eggs
• Dash of Milk
• A handful of Plain Flour
• Bread crumbs (Plenty)
• One Un-waxed Lemon
• Salt and Pepper
• Neutral Oil for frying

Carefully slice of the silverskin membrane of the side of the tenderloin, then slice the tenderloin into 8 discs. place each of the discs between two pieces of clingfilm. Beat the meat pieces flat with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until they are 6 or 7 mm thick. 

Time for bread crumbing. Take three wide bowls. In bowl number one place the flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Bowl number 2 has both of the eggs beaten with a dash of milt and a twist of salt. Finally in Bowl number three place the breadcrumbs and grate the zest of the lemon over and mix.

Carefully, unwrap your little fillets and pop then, first into the flour (making sure they are coated) then into the egg (to produce a flour and egg glue on the surface of the meat) and finally into the breadcrumbs to coat.

Schnitzels ready to fry.

Place them on the side for a few minutes to ensure that the breadcrumbs have properly attached themselves!

Pour a slick of the oil into a frying pan and fry the Schnitzels in batches of two or three. 

In the frying pan.

Serve with coleslaw or new boiled potatoes (not noodles).

The Match.

I decided to pair the Schnitzel with Camden Pale. This beer is fast becoming a modern classic. It is clearly inspired by modern American Pale ales and IPAs. However, despite the use of American hops (Citra, Simcoe and Perle) it is quite restrained and not at all piney or full of resin on the nose. There is also a light malt backbone which seems to bring us safely back to its UK roots. 

I felt that the citrus from the lemons would resonate with the the same flavours in the hops and the fried breadcrumb coating would match the maltiness in the beer. I took the beer down to fridge temperature and served it in a stemmed tulip glass.