Breaded Pork & Mozzarella Stacks with Broccoli

From Everyday With Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
8 pork cutlets (about 2 pounds), pounded thin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 baguette, finely ground (about 3 cups breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 head broccoli—broken into small florets, plus stems peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250°. Divide the mozzarella among 4 pork cutlets; top with the remaining 4 cutlets. Season with salt and pepper. Place the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Coat the pork stacks in the flour, then in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 pork stacks and cook, turning once, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven; repeat with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining 2 pork stacks.

3. Wipe out the skillet and return to the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the garlic, broccoli and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the pork stacks.

Comments:
Since I was only making two I skipped the whole oven part. One thing I'll never understand is why they tell you to use so much more flour/breadcrumb mixture than you'll ever need. 3 cups of breadcrumbs for four "stacks"? That's ridiculous and a total waste of bread. I had a little less than one cup in the bowl for two and used less than 1/4 of them. I don't get it.

Anyway, simple prep and execution, though I never seem to be able to get my oil at the right temp to cook the meat but not burn it a bit. Eh, still tasted fine, and just look at that cheese ooze out! I might not have been at my best since I had a creepy audience most of the time I was in the kitchen tonight:



That's Carly on the counter on the left, Connor is in the hall, and you can see part of Ted on the right side on the floor. JC was in the cat room eating, otherwise I'm almost certain I could have had all four of them staring at me at one time. Freaky!