Recipe | Beef Cotolette

Tonkatsu, Schnitzel... they seem similar, but different, and just last week I learned something new - Cotolette or Cotoletta, the Italian version. Personally, I still haven't tried cooking Schnitzel, but checking the process for this dish, I think it is a fairly easy one to do. Now, the reason why I called this Cotolette instead of Schnitzel or Tonkatsu is because the process I followed was taken from a YouTube video posted by Pina Cucina and the recipe shared to me by my Italian friend.


I won't be giving the recipe with exact measurements because I pretty much just eye-balled the ingredients. For this you will need -

• Thinly sliced beef
• Dry breadcrumbs
• Egg
• 1-2 Cloves of Garlic
• Italian Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Oil for Frying
• Lemon wedges

What you need to do -

• Pound your beef slices to tenderize it, but don't make it too thin. 
• In a bowl, beat egg, add crushed or finely chopped garlic cloves, a substantial amount of parsley, and enough salt and pepper. Put beef slices in this and coat it with the egg mixture.
• In a separate plate, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Coat beef slices with breadcrumbs and shallow fry in a pan until brown, turning once. Serve.

My Italian friend told me they usually sprinkle lemon juice before eating the Cotolette, which I did,  but I personally want mine with a side dip, so I prepared the caper mayo dressing, by combining mayonnaise, chopped capers and onions, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.


I served the Cotolette with simple salad (a mix of romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers with Caesar dressing), and it was really, really a good combination. This was the first time I added parmesan cheese into breadcrumbs, and it really did give a different flavor. If you have friends coming by and you want to prepare something simple yet delicious, go ahead and try this one. Although, you must choose your beef well, nobody wants to chew hard, rubbery meat. If beef is not your choice of meat, you may also use chicken breast or pork.

Mangiamo!