Once in a while, I have to go back to some old favorites, and Pork Cutlets Parmigiana is one of them. It’s a real picker-upper, real soul food, an Italo-American classic. Memories of Marco Polo Restaurant in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood! Alas, they have upgraded their menu to serve today’s more monied crowd. Similar to Spaghetti with Meatballs this dish did not exist in Italy originally. You can find it there nowadays in certain tourist eateries catering to the cruise ship hordes, where the menus are rip-proof and multi-lingual with the respective national flag icons next to them.
The namesake, the famous Costolette alla Parmigiana, is a veal cutlet served without tomato sauce and molten cheese.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Tomato-Basil Sauce
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 medium-size juicy, ripe tomatoes, peeled seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (14 g) basil leaves, shredded
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Chicken Cutlets:
- 4 single pork cutlets, all fat and gristle removed
- 3/4 cup (60 g) flour
- 3/4 cup (120 g) or more panko or dry breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs beaten with 1 Tbsp water
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4-8 slices Provolone
- red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil for garnish
Preparation:
Tomato-Basil Sauce:
Start by making tomato sauce first, if you do not have any ready in your fridge or pantry. This quick and simple tomato sauce requires juicy and ripe tomatoes. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté them for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 5 minutes longer. Add chopped tomatoes and cook them over medium heat until sauce becomes thick about 10-15 minutes. Add chopped basil, salt, and pepper.
Pork Cutlets:
If pork cutlets are too thick, pound them a bit flat between two sheets of cling film with a kitchen mallet. Salt and pepper them.
Have 3 plates ready. One with flour, another with the egg wash, and the third one with the panko or breadcrumbs. Start by dredging the cutlets in flour, dipping it in the eggs, and finally dredge it in breadcrumbs. Place cutlets on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for about 15 minutes to allow panko to adhere better to the cutlets.
Preheat oven 350° F/175° C.
Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry the cutlets for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until they are golden. Add more oil to the skillet, if necessary, and continue pan frying the remaining cutlets.
Transfer browned cutlets side by side on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the tomato-basil sauce on top of each cutlet and top it with the 1-2 Provolone cheese slices. Sprinkle cutlets with red pepper flakes and oregano or basil.
Bake it on the middle shelf for about 5-8 minutes or until cheese topping is nicely melted and bubbly.
Serve with roasted lemony broccoli or pasta and Parmesan cheese.
