Pork Cotoletta with Fennel and Blood Orange Salad
Ingredients
- 4 x pork cutlets, skin removed, approximately 280-300g per piece.
- Approx ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 100g unsalted butter (if using salted, reduce the seasoning in the crumb)
Crumb mix
- 200 g Bread crumbs
- 80 g grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped fennel fronds
- Zest of 1 orange (Keep the flesh for the salad)
- Pinch of salt
Egg mix
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tbsp mustard (I like Dijon, use your favourite)
- Pinch of salt
- Finely ground pepper to taste
Flour
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
- Optional: 1 tsp smoked paprika added to the flour. This adds a smoky flavour, and I often include it when making a more wintery version with spuds and veg instead of a salad.
- ½ large fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 3 cups watercress, remove the thickest parts of the stem
- 3 blood oranges (or other sweet variety). Zest two, and fillet or slice the flesh of the 3rd orange that was used for the crumb
- 1 tbsp salted capers, washed and drained
- 1 small cucumber sliced
- ½ bunch tarragon leaves, picked from the stem
- 2 pickled chillies, sliced (optional)
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 20 ml sherry or wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
The Pork Cottoletta
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Fill three wide bowls or trays with the flour, egg and crumbing mixtures. Lightly season the cutlets, and then coat them first in flour, then egg, and finally in the crumb. Shake off any excess. You can repeat the process to fill in any spots that look a little thin.
Prepare an oven tray with absorbent paper on the base and a wire rack.
If cooking all the cutlets at the same time, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan with a few millimetres of oil; this will be ½ – ⅔ of a cup. For batch cooking, reserve half of the oil and butter to allow a change of oil between batches. Add the butter, and heat until it foams.
Gently cook the cutlets until golden on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan, dab with kitchen paper, and place on the tray with the wire rack. Once you have cooked all the cutlets, finish cooking in a moderate oven. You can confirm the doneness by using a probe thermometer; around 63°C will have a light blush of pink, or you can aim for 70°C if you prefer.
The Salad
For the salad, combine the sliced fennel, cucumber, picked watercress, orange zest and fillets, capers, tarragon and pickled chilli (optional) in a large mixing bowl, gently mixing and fluffing with your hands to preserve the delicate herbs.
Use a jar or small bowl to whisk or shake together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper to form an emulsified dressing.
Coat the salad and gently toss just before serving.
Notes
Optional to serve: Char-grilled lemon halves or fresh lemon wedges. Mustard, pickles or hot sauce. The salad is also delicious with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.
Written by Ryan Andrijich for The Daylesford Meat Co.
