Something triggered my memory about how much I love the dish, Veal Parmegiano, particularly when made by an expert. Of course, Marie was an expert. It was yummy! Then I realized I didn’t have a recipe in Food Nirvana from Marie or any other source for this wonderful dish. I collected a variety of Internet recipes, analyzed them and decided Emeril’s recipe from Food Network® was clearly the best. It looked so good I decided to try it pretty much as I found it. But I did change the procedure as most folks don't have a skillet large enough to do what Emeril required. There is one caveat regarding the ingredients. Emeril uses both dried red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper and I suggest you go easy on those ingredients unless those who will be eating it love hot stuff.

Thinking further I considered the fact that Poor Man’s Schnitzel uses lean pork chops processed like veal, and the results are fantastic. And the cost is so much lower! So once again I decided to use pork instead of veal to make this classic dish. If you can tell you are eating pork instead of veal, well, good luck! I prefer using pork instead of veal for tenderness, moisture and taste, but the choice is up to you.

I will report back with results when I try this recipe.

Ingredients: (four servings)

2 lbs. of center cut boneless pork chops (eight pieces)

Essence (see the recipe immediately below)

1 tsp. of Salt

½ tsp. of Pepper

1 cup of flour

1 cup of bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

2 tbsp. of butter

3 tbsp. of olive oil

3 strips of bacon

½ cup of yellow onion, chopped fine

1 tbsp. of minced garlic

½ cup of dry red wine

1, 28 oz. can of peeled Italian plum tomatoes

1 cup of tomato puree (sauce)

1 tbsp. of fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp. of fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. of fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp. of dried red pepper flakes (or less)

8 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese

8 oz. of Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

Essence Ingredients:

2½ tbsp. of paprika

2 tbsp. of salt

2 tbsp. of garlic powder

1 tbsp.of black pepper

1 tbsp. of onion powder

1 tbsp. of cayenne pepper (or less)

1 tbsp. of dried oregano

1 tbsp. of dried thyme

Essence Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Then store the essence in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid.

"Veal?" Parmegiano Directions:

Trim any fat from the pork chops and discard it. If you have four thick chops instead of eight thin chops then cut them so they are half as thick.

Use a meat mallet to pound each chop to a 1/4-inch thickness. Do this evenly over the entire surface such that both sides of a chop are pounded to achieve the final thickness.

Lightly season the pounded chops on both sides with Essence, salt and pepper, rubbing the seasoning into the meat surface.

Place the flour in a wide, shallow bowl and season it with 1 tablespoon of Essence. Place the breadcrumbs in another wide, shallow bowl and season them with 1 tablespoon of Essence.

Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Then add the milk and whisk until the mixture is uniform.

Dredge the chops in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Dip the chops in the egg wash, and then coat both sides with the breadcrumbs.

Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy, very large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the chops until they are golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove them from the skillet and place them on a plate. If the skillet isn't large enough to accommodate all the chops at one time then do them in two batches, melting an additional 1 tbsp. of butter in the skillet before doing the second batch.

Add the bacon to the pan and fry it in the remaining fat. Remove the fried bacon from the pan to a paper towel. When it is cool, crumble it.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the onion and saute´, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté it until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the wine, and cook, stirring, to de-glaze the pan over high heat for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the puree/sauce, the basil, parsley, oregano, and dried red pepper flakes. Cut each of the tomatoes in half. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the crumbled bacon. Simmer the mixture until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce onto an oven proof platter large enough to hold the chops in one layer.

Arrange the cooked chops on top of the tomato pieces/sauce, spooning the sauce over each one. Sprinkle one tbsp. of Parmesan cheese over each chop, then cover that with a slice or one ounce portion of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Put the platter into the oven and bake until the cheese melts, at most 5 to 6 minutes.

Serve immediately, 2 chops per person.

This dish goes well with herbed egg noodles. So says Emeril. I suggest pasta of any sort with a butter and garlic sauce, along with a light salad and some hard crusted rolls and butter. You might also want to drink some of that dry red wine, along with a glass of ice water.