The boys cook feel-good cotoletta.

Going back to basics may just be the way forward, say Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich who refine a retro feel-good feed.

We’re celebrating pork and how versatile and amazing it is. While people will naturally think of veal when talking about a cotoletta, that’s not to say you can’t use other cuts of meat, and pork works particularly well.

We’re also in trying times. You go into the supermarket and you’re not necessarily sure what’s available. So if you want to buy veal and you can’t get it, pork is a great substitute.

It’s slightly more affordable now, too. Affordability is important for our delicious. readership – affordability is very 2020.

That’s the thing really right now isn’t it? It’s 2020 and everyone is living on a shoestring budget, so pork is the veal of 2020.

We’re very 2020. Another thing that’s very 2020 is buying local, and because our pork here has the bone in, you can guarantee that it’s Australian.

Exactly. So now we’ve got our main ingredient all agreed upon. We’re going to flatten down the cutlet a bit with a mallet – but we don’t want it to be too thin.

Yes, too thin is an absolute no-no for cotoletta. It makes it like cardboard.

We’ll add some lemon zest and parmesan to the breadcrumbs for a bit of bite. We want a nice, crispy outside. And I know everyone pretends they don’t like these creamy sauces but really they do. It’s like a prawn cocktail. Everyone loves a prawn cocktail but they’re afraid to order it, but when they do they love it! This is the prawn cocktail of schnitzels.

It’s nostalgia – and you don’t want to say you like it, but you do. This is creamy, salty, crunchy – what’s not to love!

Exactly. And you know, if you’ve never tried to cook a cotoletta before, now’s the time to do it. A: We have been cooking all sorts of things we haven’t made before at home. Everyone is cooking more now. We’re learning to appreciate the simple things again.

PORK COTOLETTA WITH SAGE AND WHITE WINE SAUCE SERVES 6

6 x 350g pork cutlets, trimmed, rind

removed

Flour, to dust

400g stale white breadcrumbs

Zest of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve 1/ 2 cup (40g) parmesan, finely grated 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 11/ 2 cups (375ml) milk

3 eggs

Vegetable oil, to fry

SAGE AND WHITE WINE SAUCE

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

60g unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbs sage leaves, finely chopped 1 cup (250ml) white wine

11/ 2 cups (375ml) pure (thin) cream

Working with 1 cutlet at a time, use a meat mallet to pound to 1cm-thick. Season flour with salt and pepper, then spread on a large plate. Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl with zest, parmesan and parsley.

Season and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, beat together milk and eggs. Lightly coat cutlets first in the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, and finally in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a tray and chill for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the sage and white wine sauce, heat the oil and butter in a medium non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until onion has softened. Add wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and cook until reduced by half. Stir in cream, bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until thickened. Season to taste, set aside and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat a large deep frypan with 3cm oil until hot (test with a cube of bread, it should turn golden in 30 seconds). In batches, fry the cutlets, turning occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until golden. Place cutlets on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until the meat is cooked to your liking. Rest for 5-6 minutes before serving. Drizzle over sage and white wine sauce and scatter with freshly ground black pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.