The original Oktoberfest was celebrated in Munich on October 18, 1810 for the commemoration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Carnival booths were set up with a variety of games and the wealthy familes provided the prizes of silver, porcelain and jewelry. On years when a royal marriage occurred, an especially over-the-top Oktoberfest was celebrated with a parade. In 1850, the parade became an annual fixture. Since 1950, the festival has kicked off with a 21-gun salute and a tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer by the mayor of Munich who cries out "O'zapft is!" or "It's tapped!"
Your personal Oktoberfest might be considerably less authentic, but there is no reason that the cuisine should be. I'm of Swiss-German descent and I've had my fair share of "our people's" food, but of everything I've tried, every brautwurst and knautwurst, one dish stands alone: schnitzel.
Chicken Schnitzel
Ingredients
Four chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of flour
2 eggs
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons paprika (sweet paprika preferred)
Generous handful of flat leaf or Italian parsley
1 lemon -- in zest and sliced in wedges
Olive oil for cooking
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Put a baking sheet in the oven to warm while the schnitzel is being assembled.
Butterfly the chicken breast pieces with the goal to make the thickness of the meat even. Cut the raw breast where the thickness doubles, but stop before cutting it through all the way and open it up like a book. Put the breast between two pieces of wax paper and gently pound it out into a thin large cutlet. Season each cutlet generously with salt and pepper. When assembling and cooking the schnitzel, it is easiest to do it in batches of two!
Dredge each cutlet in a shallow bowl of flour and then dip in the mixture of two beaten eggs. Mix together the bread crumbs, paprika, finely chopped parsley and lemon zest. Put the mixture on a plate and press each side of the cutlet in it. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side and transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep them crispy.
Add more oil and repeat until all schnitzel is done. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley (and capers if you like). Plate with potato latkes, warm sauerkraut, and a side of apple sauce. Guten Appetit!
*In photo from (l-r): Gloria Swanson, Marion Davies, Constance Bennet and Jean Harlow at a 1930s Oktoberfest.
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