PAN ROASTED PORK CUTLET MOZZARELLA (made Without Eggs)

Upon defrosting a nice boneless pork cutlet preparatory to pan roasting it I discovered that I was out of eggs. After wondering what I could use as a substitute to get a breadcrumb coating to adhere to the meat, I decided to try a little olive oil. EUREKA! It worked even better than an egg dip.

1. 1 six to eight ounce boneless pork chop, or pork cutlet (this one weighed 8 ounces)
2. 2 TBS plus 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3. 1/2 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
4. 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Salt Sense (or sea salt)
5. 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
6. 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
7. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
8. 2 TBS (about 1 ounce) Sargento Shredded Artisan Whole Milk Mozzarella
9. 2 TBS (about 1 ounce) shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese (I just happened to have a block of Stella Asiago Cheese with Rosemary; it's good)!
10. 1/2 cup tomato or pizza sauce (I used Newman's Own Roasted Tomato & Garlic Sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Remove and discard any fat from the pork cutlet; wrap the cutlet in wax paper or saran wrap and pound it evenly thin (about 1/2" thick).
3. Place the breadcrumbs and seasonings in a large paper plate and mix thoroughly.
4. Sprinkle S&P over both sides of the cutlet, then drizzle each side with a little EVOO (about 1/2 teaspoon or less per side; spread it evenly around the surface of the cutlet using your fingers).
5. Place the oiled pork cutlet on top of the seasoned breadcrumbs and press it down; then lift it up - spread the remaining breadcrumbs evenly around the plate, then place the 2nd side of the cutlet down and press it in to the breadcrumbs. Set it aside.
6. Heat 2 TBS of EVOO in a large oven-safe non-stick skillet over medium heat.
7. While the oil is heating, shred the asiago or parmesan and portion out the shredded mozzarella, and mix the two cheeses together. Set aside.

1. Place the breadcrumb coated pork cutlet into the hot oil and fry it without moving for about 3 minutes, or until nicely browned; then flip it over and fry the second side.
2. Remove the frying pan from the heat and spread a little of the tomato sauce over it; then sprinkle about half of the cheese mixture over the sauce; top with the remaining tomato sauce and a sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
3. Center the skillet containing the pork cutlet on the top rack of your preheated oven broiler and broil just until the cheese begins to bubble and brown.
4. Serve immediately (see next step).

You can serve this delicious pork cutlet any way you want; A la carte, with a salad or side dish, and/or with your favorite beverage (in my case, a nice glass of imported Chianti).

Although I have named this recipe "Pan Roasted Pork Cutlet Mozzarella" it obviously contains both mozzarella and asiago cheeses. Feel free to use the cheese of your choice, and as many (or as few) cheeses as you like!

Bon appétit

I have estimated the nutritional values of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer (wine not included).

• Using 2 TBS + 1 teaspoon of EVOO in place of 3 TBS of EVOO and one whole egg to enhance the breadcrumbs to adhere to the pork cutlet results in an increase of about 10 calories.
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• NOTE: I believe that this recipe has far too much sodium in it. I did not realize how much sodium is contained in store-bought seasoned breadcrumbs (around 900 mg per cup) and I recommend making your own breadcrumbs (as I no doubt will in the future unless I can find a store-bought low-sodium version)!