Thin-pounded pork loin, dredged and pan-fried light, then blotted dry—a great way to turn an affordable cut of pork into something that tastes like a million bucks. Serve with your favourite sauce, we make ours with a mushroom sauce.

Ingredients

• 1.25 kg (2.75 lb) boneless pork loin roast, fat cap trimmed off
• 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour (rice flour works as a 1:1 swap for a gluten-free version)
• 3–4 tbsp. avocado oil, for frying, added as needed
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. table salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper, optional

Instructions

Slice the trimmed loin against the grain into scaloppini 0.5–0.75 cm thick (up to 1 cm if that’s easier to cut evenly).

On a cutting board, pound each cutlet on both sides with a meat mallet until as thin as it will go without tearing. The thinner the cutlets, the more tender they will be.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the salt, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.

Dredge each cutlet in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

Working in batches, fry the cutlets in a thin layer of avocado oil over medium-high heat for about 1½–2 minutes per side, or until golden.

Transfer immediately onto paper towel, pressing another sheet gently on top. Replace with fresh paper towels between batches to blot away as much excess oil as possible.

In an oven-safe dish, layer the mushroom sauce (recipe on the next page) and cutlets, alternating between the two. Make 2–3 layers, depending on how many cutlets you have, and finish with a layer of sauce on top.

Heat in the oven at 175 °C (350 °F) for 10–15 minutes, until heated through. Serve warm.

Makes 10–12 servings.

To serve: Brown rice and a simple roasted vegetable, such as cauliflower work well. Just toss the vegetable with a little oil and salt and roast until golden, no separate recipe needed.

Option

Make it a day ahead: Prepare through step 6, and refrigerate until the next day. Then pick up at step 7.