A Schnitzel That’s Traveled With One Family to Hong Kong, London, New York, and Beyond

Shared by Rachel Simons
Recipe Roots: Sydney > London and Hong Kong > New York City

In 1970s and 1980s Australia, the Jewish community Rachel Simons grew up in Sydney was still small, most of it comprised of European Jews who survived the Holocaust and their descendents. There were just two or three synagogues, one kosher butcher and one kosher restaurant: A place called Tibby’s in the B’nai Brith center. “Imagine if the JCC had a little room with a little kitchen,” Rachel, who is the co-owner of tahini company Seed + Mill, explains. “It was the only restaurant where we could eat.” The restaurant was staffed with one waiter who always wore a tuxedo, and it was a treat to eat there. Rachel and her sister Talia would often order plates of schnitzel with cherry sauce when they visited. 

Crispy chicken schnitzel cutlets were also a staple in their home, always stashed in the freezer so family members could take them out whenever they wanted. After school, Rachel would walk home with a gaggle of classmates and she would fry the schnitzels from the freezer and make a cherry sauce to go with them for an afternoon snack. (One time, she and her sister accidentally started a small fire making the schnitzel. Thankfully, Talia was able to extinguish the fire by dumping a houseplant on it.) Their mother Jane also served schnitzel for Shabbat dinner. 

Rachel’s grandparents, Otto (left) and Annika (right) in Prague in 1947.

The schnitzel recipe itself originated in the family with Jane, but the cherry sauce has roots in Czechoslovakia, where cherries are common in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s here, in Prague, that Rachel’s grandmother Annika Saxl met her future husband Otto Roubicek after World War II. He had already spent time in the small Jewish community in Bulawayo, a city in Zimbabwe and together, they moved there. Annika adapted her cooking to what was available. Unable to find fresh cherries, she used tinned ones in her cooking in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Annika in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 1952.

Jane grew up in Zimbabwe, but left for London and ultimately for Sydney. Like her mother, and grandmother, Rachel has also called several places home, always finding comfort at the Shabbat table. 

“When you pick yourself up and move to a new country, what do you look for to reestablish yourself, make friends, feel at home?” Rachel asks. Shabbat dinner has helped her connect and find a sense of grounding wherever she goes. “My Judaism and those rituals and traditions have followed me and my family everywhere we’ve gone. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Sydney, Prague, New York, London.”

When she moved to London in her early 20s she lived with her now husband and two other Australian flatmates. “I was the only Jew,” Rachel explains. Still, she hosted Shabbat dinners for them, serving schnitzel. “Friday night, that’s the anchor to my Judaism,” she adds. Rachel also made the recipe in Hong Kong when she moved there in 2002, and brought it with her when she moved to New York City six years ago. 

Rachel’s mother Jane in Bulawayo in 1954.

As she’s traveled and relocated, the recipes for the cherry sauce and the schnitzel have evolved. “Between my grandparents, my mom, myself and my sister, we’ve really not found our roots in one location,” Rachel explains. “This recipe has traveled with us throughout our lives and every country we’ve lived in and been to, we’ve added a touch of that destination.” She’s added orange rind to the cherry sauce (and at times, five spice) and lemon zest to the schnitzel crumb. 

It wasn’t until recently, Rachel says, that she started to think of the recipe as something special, worthy of celebrating. When she prepared an elaborate dinner for a group of chef friends and put out schnitzel for the kids at the table, she says: “Everybody just wanted the schnitzel…. It’s impossible for an adult or child to not want schnitzel.”

Even during this period of social distancing, she and her daughter Annika (named for her great grandmother) are making cutlets for their family and neighbors. Rachel explains: “It is providing a lot of comfort during these times of distress.

Schnitzel and Cherry Sauce

Makes: 4 servings
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 
For the cherry sauce:
2 cups fresh cherries or defrosted frozen cherries, pitted
1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons room temperature water
¼ cup red wine 
3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 
Zest of 1 orange 
1 teaspoon salt 
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
1 whole star anise seed (optional)
4 tablespoons cornstarch

For the schnitzel:
1 cup all purpose flour 
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs 
1 cup regular breadcrumbs 
Zest of 1 lemon 
3 teaspoons flaky sea salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded ¼ inch
1 cup vegetable oil 

Preparation
1. Make the cherry sauce: Place the cherries into a pot and cover with about 1 ¾ cups of water or enough to just cover the cherries. Cook over medium high heat, bring to a boil and lower heat to medium and cook on a simmer for about 7 to 10 minutes until the cherries are tender and soft. Add the red wine, sugar, zest, salt, pepper, ginger (if using) and star anise (if using) into the cherries and stir. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture into the cherries and mix well. Continue cooking the mixture on a simmer stirring constantly until the liquid becomes glossy, thick and clear, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sauce into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Dredge the chicken breasts: Place the flour into a bowl. Place the beaten eggs into another bowl. Mix the Panko and regular bread crumbs, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a separate bowl. Starting with one chicken breast at a time, coat the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip the chicken into the beaten eggs, coat on both sides and then press the chicken into the Panko and breadcrumb mixture to coat on all sides. Transfer chicken to a plate or baking tray. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

3. Fry the schnitzel: Heat 1 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. After about 1 minute, dip the tip of a chicken breast into the oil to check if it sizzles. If the oil sizzles, it is hot and ready for frying. Place the chicken breasts into the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes on each side.

4. Transfer schnitzel to a towel lined tray to drain any excess oil. Immediately sprinkle the schnitzel with the remaining 1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt. 

5. Serve the schnitzel hot with a dollop of warm cherry sauce. 

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

In addition to the schnitzel and cherry sauce, Rachel shared recipes for crispy smashed potatoes and fennel and herb salad, explaining: “It’s a contemporary version of a meal my mum almost always cooked.” She also added her own touch: A recipe for chocolate tahini truffles.

Makes: 4 servings
Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients 
1 pound small yukon gold potatoes 
4 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
4 shallots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise 
⅓ cup olive oil 
½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 
1 small jalapenño, thinly sliced
Zest of 1 lime (optional)

Preparation
1. Place the potatoes into a pot with enough cold water to completely submerge the potatoes. Add 3 tablespoons of salt, place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking the potatoes on a gentle simmer until fork tender, about another 30 to 40 minutes. 

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

3. Drain the water and return the dry potatoes into the pot over medium heat. Shake the pot every so often to dry out the potatoes, for about 3 to 5 minutes. 

4. Transfer the potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Firmly smash each potato with the bottom of a heavy cup. Add the shallots, olive oil and salt. Stir to coat all the potatoes and shallots. Transfer the baking sheet into the oven and roast the potatoes until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.

5. Place the cooked potatoes and shallots into a heatproof bowl. Add the cilantro, parsley, white wine vinegar, jalapeños, and lime zest (if using) and stir to combine.

6. Transfer the dressed potatoes onto a platter and immediately serve hot.

Fennel and Herb Salad

Makes: 4 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients 
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise 
Juice of 1 lemon 
1 cup cold water
½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt 
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 cup parmesan cheese, thinly shaved (optional)

Preparation
1. Place the sliced fennel into a bowl with the lemon juice and cold water. Let sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the fennel. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the fennel, mint leaves, parsley leaves, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan (if using). Mix to combine well.

3. Serve the salad cold.

Chocolate Tahini Truffles

Makes: 15 truffles
Total time: 10 minutes active plus 1 hour inactive

Ingredients
1 cup tahini paste
16 ounces 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped 
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation
1. Line a 9 x 5 inch deep baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave. Pour the tahini into the melted chocolate and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the parchment paper-lined baking dish. Transfer to a freezer and freeze for at least 1 hour. 

3. Flip the baking dish upside down and tap the dish to release the chocolate from the dish. Discard the parchment paper. Cut the chocolate into 2 inch x 1 inch rectangles and dip each truffle into the cocoa powder to coat evenly.

4. Serve the truffles immediately.

Make Ahead: Store the coated truffles in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.