Cook with Toucan

Pork cutlet with sautéed vegetables

For the first time I tasted this dish when my friend Martina from Brno cooked it for me. She cooked sautéed onion and pickled red peppers with the meat. She said that her grandma from Serbia cooked this dish often. Sour vegetables with meat were delicious. As time went by I added canned tomatoes pickled in own juice and fresh yellow pepper to make finished dish not so sour. This vegetables side dish goes well together with any other meat, not only pork.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• pork cutlet (4 pcs = 700 g = 1,5 lb.)
  • clean and dry well
  • please, don’t pound!
• salt and ground pepper (to season the meat)
• oil (3 tbsp.)
  • to sauté the meat
• unsalted butter (1 tbsp.)
• medium yellow onion (1 pc)
  • peel, cut into thick rounds (width approx. 3 mm = 0,12 in.)
• medium red onion (1 pc)
  • peel, cut into thick rounds (width approx. 3 mm = 0,12 in.)
• oil (3 tbsp.)
  • to sauté vegetables
• garlic (4 cloves)
  • peel, chop into coarse pieces
• small yellow pepper (1 pc)
  • wash and remove core
  • cut into strips
• salt and ground pepper (to season the vegetables)
• pickled red peppers (approx. 160 g = 5,6 oz.)
  • cut into strips
• peeled canned tomatoes pickled in own juice (approx. 240 g  = 8,5 oz.)
  • cut into big pieces
  • don’t pour out juice from tomatoes!
• fresh parsley (1 handful)
  • chop into coarse pieces

Preparation:

• heat oil (3 tbsp.) in the pan and sauté yellow and red onion (Tips ↓1)
• after onions become glassy, add garlic and yellow pepper (Tips ↓2)
• salt and pepper
• after vegetables become golden, add pickled red peppers (Tips ↓3)
• now cook until vegetables will be al dente (Tips ↓4)
• then add canned tomatoes pickled in own juice and juice from tomatoes, which is left in the can
• stew approx. 5 minutes
• remove pan aside from stove
• taste, according to taste add salt and pepper
• add fresh parsley and go to devote the meat

• mixture of vegetables is full of flavours, so it is not necessary to use too much spices on the cutlets
• salt and pepper them only
• heat oil (3 tbsp.) and unsalted butter (1 tbsp.) in the pan and sauté cutlets (Tips ↓5)
• serve warm
• at last you can sprinkle the cutlets with chopped fresh chilli peppers

Tips:

1. If you use larger onions, add more oil. Onions have to sauté in sufficient volume of oil, not burn.
2. The onions are glassy, when they are not visibly raw, began to be transparent, but they are not becoming gold yet.
3. Don’t put your face over the pan after you added pickled red peppers, because red peppers are pickled in sweet-and-sour pickle. Your eyes will burn.
4. When I write to cook vegetables al dente, it means, that the vegetables have to be visibly sautéed, but still partially crunchy.
5. Don’t heat the oil with unsalted butter too much. Or butter will be burned.