Pork Milanese – A Simple Dinner Dressed Up

I love combining textures and temperatures on my plate, and this dinner does all the work for me.  A thin layer of meat (chicken works well here too – just substitute skinless, boneless chicken breasts for the pork cutlets) is coated in a lemony egg dip and bread crumbs and pan fried, then topped with a lemony arugula salad.  The lemon, salad and thin layer of meat leave you feeling light and healthy, but the frying makes it hearty and satisfying.  And the cold salad atop the crispy, hot meat ensures that every bite is an interesting mouthful. And the best part?  It looks and tastes snazzy enough for company but can be ready in a jiffy.

On a cutting board, pound your meat in wax paper until desired thinness.  (I bought 4 boneless porkchops and pounded them to ¼ inch thickness.)

Line up three bowls on your counter.  Put ½ cup flour in the first.  In the second, combine 2 eggs with 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.  Put 1 ½ cups bread crumbs in the third bowl.

Dredge each piece of pork lightly in flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs.  Put the pork on a plate and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors settle and the coating set.  You can also store them this way for up to one day in the refrigerator, but be sure to seal them with plastic wrap.

For the salad (which should be prepared while the chicken is cooking or shortly beforehand), toss fresh baby arugula with a simple lemon vinaigrette (juice of one large lemon, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and ¼ cup olive oil).

To cook the pork, heat 2 tablespoons each of vegetable oil and olive oil in a large frying pan.  Cook the cutlets until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes each. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  If you are unable to cook all of your pork at once, keep the ones that have been fried warm in a 175 degree F oven until all of them have been cooked.

To serve, arrange one piece of pork on each plate topped with a healthy pile of tossed salad on top.  Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!