It wouldn’t be Germany week without featuring a schnitzel! As it is traditionally made with pork or veal, we needed to find a vegetarian alternative.
For this dish, we used a recipe from the book ‘Speedy Bosh‘ by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. This meant that not only was it a vegan recipe, but it was also pretty quick to make!
In the book there are 3 variations of ways to serve the schnitzel, so we opted for a paprika-based sauce, however this can be served just as the plain schnitzel and fries if you prefer. We used cow’s milk in our version, however plant-based milk will work just as well if not better!
The most important part of this schnitzel is getting a great cauliflower, preferably one with a thick stalk to make the texture of the schnitzel as steak-like as possible. Our recommendation is to go to a local greengrocer where you can pick out your own to really make the best of it. In Swansea, we like Get Fresh for excellent produce.
Once the ‘steaks’ are cut and briefly steamed in the microwave, they’re ready for the crispy and delicious coating!
The steaks were first dipped in seasoned cornflour, then milk, then breadcrumbs. Feel free to mix this up with different plant-based milks and different breadcrumbs. We used pre-made golden breadcrumbs, but homemade or panko breadcrumbs would add an interesting crunch.
The coated cauliflower is then pan-fried for a couple of minutes on each side, then they’re ready to go! Feel free to serve with whatever you would like – we had a paprika sauce and mashed potatoes.
To Serve
The creamy paprika sauce was very simple, and of course optional! Another common way to serve the schnitzel is as Jägerschnitzel which has a mushroom gravy. We found a recipe for this through The Daring Gourmet so feel free to give this a go and let us know what you think.
A rich combination of garlic, cream (oat or regular), and of course paprika made this a wonderful accompaniment to the crispy schnitzel!
Once you have made your preferred sauce, feel free to add sides as you prefer. We went for mashed potato to contrast the crispy schnitzel, but french fries would also be perfect here.
We also had our schnitzel with a delicious glass of German red wine, specifically a Pinot Noir ‘Sandstein’ from G. Stepp which was delicious!
Please let us know on social media if you give this a go – we’d love to here from you!
Take me back to the starter – click here
Room for dessert? – click here