Indiana's pork tenderloin sandwich consists of a deep-fried
breaded pork tenderloin cutlet placed on a soft hamburger bun. The meat spills
over past the edge of the bread. The sandwich is dressed with a variety of
condiments usually eaten on hamburgers, including ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise,
lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion. The
sandwich appears on many Indiana’s restaurant and diner menus, having been
introduced to the state as wiener schnitzel by German immigrants in the 19th
century. Nick Freinstein sold the first breaded pork tenderloin in 1908 from a
food cart in Huntingdon, laying the foundation for Nick’s Kitchen, which opened
the same year and still stands today. "Gourmet" magazine called
breaded pork tenderloin more popular than hamburgers in the state.
Hoosier Pie appears to have originated in Indiana with the
Shaker and/or Amish communities in the 1800s as a great pie recipe to use when
the apple bins were empty. Similar pies are found in the Pennsylvania Dutch County
and a few other places in the United States with significant Amish populations.
This pie was also known as “finger pie” because the filling was sometimes
stirred with a finger during the baking process to prevent breaking the bottom
crust. The pie is also nicknamed
“desperation pie” because of its lack of ingredients from outside the basic
pantry.
Menu: Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Indiana Corn
Casserole, Hoosier Pie
Outcome: The pork pieces were enormous after they were
pounded! I cooked them as they were, but
when it was time to put them on the buns, all of us cut our portion in half to
make a more manageable sandwich and we
ate the rest of the patty on the side.
The sandwiches were very good, and we dressed them as we would
hamburgers with the traditional toppings as we liked (see the first paragraph.) The corn casserole was a very nice side dish
to the sandwich and was flavored nicely with the bacon and sweet corn.
On the other hand, none of us were fond of the Hoosier Pie …
it was cloyingly sweet, sticky and rather plain and boring. Very easy to make, but not one that we’ll
attempt again.
Next up: Brandi’s turn! She chose Michigan!
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| Indiana's meal! |
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Prep time: 15
min. Cook time: 20 min.
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 ¼ lb.)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. sweet paprika
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 4 hamburger buns, toasted on cut sides
Suggested garnishes: lettuce leaves, tomato slices, red
onion slices, dill pickle slices, mayonnaise, mustard
Directions
- Trim the pork tenderloin of excess fat and silver skin. Cut crosswise into 4 even pieces. Cut each piece crosswise again, but do not go all the way through; it should be able to open like a book. Pound each piece with a mallet until ¼" thick and 6 to 8" across.
- Whisk together the buttermilk, salt, black pepper, garlic
powder, onion powder, paprika and sugar in a shallow dish. Add the pork
cutlets. Make sure all the pieces are coated well with the buttermilk marinade.
Cover and keep refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Pork soaking in seasoned buttermilk - Heat ½" oil in a large high-sided skillet to 350 º F. Set up a breading station of three shallow dishes consisting of the flour in the first dish, eggs in the second and breadcrumbs in the third. Sprinkle all three dishes with salt and pepper.
- Dredge each cutlet in the flour first, then in the egg and
finally in the breadcrumbs.
Pork cutlets with breading - Gently place into the hot oil without overcrowding
the skillet. The cutlets will have to be cooked in batches. When the cutlets
are golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes, carefully flip and cook for
another 2 minutes.
Drain well on a paper-towel-lined plate.
sizzling away - Build the sandwiches by putting the cutlets between the burger buns and garnishing with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayonnaise and mustard. The cutlet should hang generously over the bun.
Serves 4.
Indiana Corn Casserole
Prep time: 15
min. Cook time: 45 min.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bacon
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 lb. fresh corn (or frozen corn, thawed)
- 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- bacon drippings (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 º.
- Dice bacon and cook. Drain and set aside. Reserve half of
bacon drippings to sauté the vegetables with.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté onions, celery, and bell peppers until tender.
- Stir in flour, then sour cream, until well combined. Add in thawed corn and most of the bacon bits and season with salt and pepper at this time.
- Pour mixture into 9 x 13" glass baking casserole dish.
Sprinkle on the remaining bacon bits over the top.
just before going in the oven - Bake for 30-45 minutes, until top is lightly browned.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
Serves 8-10.
Hoosier Pie/Sugar Cream Pie/Finger Pie
Prep time: 5 min.
Cook time: 60 min.
Ingredients:
- 8" Pie Crust
- 1 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (minus 2 Tbsp.) heavy or whipping cream
- Sprinkle with nutmeg before baking
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 º F.
- Mix brown sugar and flour directly in prepared unbaked pie
crust until flour disappears.
Add the cream and mix with finger or wooden spoon.
mix, mix, mix! 
- Bake until entire surface of filling is boiling and crust is
well bronzed, approximately 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to
room temperature before serving.
It is easier to tell when the pie is baked by eye rather than by time. There will be lively boiling in the center, and sluggish boiling on the edge where the filling has thickened.
Makes 8 servings.
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