Jumbo Jumbo

KoSometimes you (and when I say you, I mean me) have a hankering for European comfort food and Jumbo Jumbo fits the the bill. This is no mumbo jumbo, mind you but the Swiss (more specifically Zurich) version of chicken cordon bleu. Why they call it jumbo jumbo you ask? No clue. But it tastes decadently delicious so I care not. Made with pork, of course. And served in taverns or bierhalles if you please. Fried pork cutlets stuffed with ham (go big or go home I always say) and gooey cheese. The recipe, from Saveur, called for Emmanthaler or Gruyere, but after after two tries I prefer a melange of white cheddar and Gruyere - it seemed to melt better and using smokey ham added some extra large flavor. The dredging and the coating takes some practice, though, as you need to hold everything together to make it to the frying pan. Saveur recommends serving with lemon wedges, but I suggest a good German lager.

Big, the enormous hit of 1988 starring Tom Hanks (who I am not a huge fan of) and directed by Laverne De Fazio (aka Penny Marshall). Simply put, a boy wishes on a Zoltar machine that he was "big" and over night becomes a boy in and adult body. He moves to Manhattan, gets an apartment and a job at a toy company and learns adulthood isn't all its cracked up to be (despite the mammoth floor pianos and baby corn). Sort of the antithesis of Peggy Sue Got Married, about the woman who takes her adult sensibilities back to high school. Either way, the lesson learned is that the grass is always greener. Just please don't eat the daisies.


The Recipe:

4   4oz boneless pork cutlets, pounded 1/16" thin
3oz deli ham, thinly sliced (the smokier the better)
3 oz Emmenthaler, Gruyere or a cheddar/Gruyere melange, thinly sliced
1/3 c flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 c canola oil (although, I used vegetable oil, I mean really, when you are already combining ham and pork why are you worried about a little more fat?!)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
Lemon wedges for serving

Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Place ham and cheese on one cutlet, place other cutlet on top, set aside. Repeat. Place flour, egg and bread crumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Dredge stuffed cutlet in flour, and coat in eggs, then bread crumbs (this is the tricky part). Heat oil and butter in 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Fry, flipping once, until golden brown and crisp, about 12-16 minutes. Serves 2.


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