Pork Piccata

I was at the store the other day getting some heres and theres when I saw the most beautiful cuts of pork.  The sirloin cutlet - already sliced thin so no pounding, and lookie here!  On sale to boot!  So I put it in my basket and for the last couple of days have been thinking about what I want to make with them.  Do I want to grill?  Do I want to roll them with goodies inside and bake?  The possibilities were becoming endless to the point that I could not decide what I was going to make for dinner.  And then, while at the grocery store today I found my key ingredient to help mold the rest of my meal around:  Capers.  If you haven't had capers you're missing out.  They're salty, flavorful and a key ingredient to piccata.  And a little trivia, they're from a flower.  Ah ha!  I'll make pork piccata!  And a recipe was born..

Ok, here is the epitomy of a simple meal that tastes like you slaved over it for hours.  The sauce is light and buttery and the capers give it the added salt without putting it over the edge.  And let's not forget the delicious citrus zing of lemon!  The picture is actually chicken piccata because I have not had an opportunity to take a photo of a finished pork piccata.  That will be remedied tonight when I'm done making dinner.  This dish is excellent with all poultry, so if you have turkey, chicken or pork, you're half way there. 

Traditionally I serve this meal over a bed of angel hair pasta and a side of asparagus or broccoli.  In the summer, grilled zucchini brushed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper is amazing with it.   

Ingredients
4-6 pork sirloin cutlets (chicken or turkey breasts work too) pounded to about 1/4"
1/2 c flour
1/2 c panko bread crumbs (you can use any you like but I really like these in particular because I don't seem to lose the breading off them as easily)
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 lemon, juiced (if you dont' have a citrus squeezer, you really need to get one!)
1/2 c white wine (I like using Piesporter because it has a sweet note to it with a little zing)
1/2 c chicken broth (I like to use fat free)
3 Tbsp capers, rinsed
2 green onions, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to season

Once your pork is pounded flat, season cutlets with sea salt and pepper.  Mix together your flour and panko in a storage bag and shake cutlets until well coated.  Let your cutlets sit while you begin to warm your pan.  Add your olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter in pan over medium heat until melted.  The butter is going to make this cook faster as it gets hotter than the oil itself.  Give your pan a swirl to mix the two together.  Add your cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 2-4 each side, flipping only ONCE.  Remove from pan and cover to keep warm while you're making the sauce.  Add your wine, lemon, chicken broth and capers to your pan drippings and stir over medium heat until sauce is reduced (in about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and add the green onions and remaining butter.  Stir in until melted and pour sauce over pork cutlets.

One thing I should mention, be very careful when adding your wine!  I learned once the hard way that a hot pan, with oil and butter drippings and adding wine to it without taking from the heat is never a good idea.  I think I still have red wine faint stains on my kitchen ceiling that didn't come out when I was preparing another dish.  Who knew how far that would splatter?  I found out the hard way, so I pass this along to you.  Maybe you'll want to add your broth or lemon juice before the wine.. just sayin.