Perhaps vegetarians think differently, but animal proteins are undoubtedly important for our body. In addition, there are also such strong arguments as taste and aroma, a feeling of satiety and satisfaction from eating. So the rules for cooking meat dishes (many of its varieties) are still relevant for cooks of all ranks and stripes, especially for beginning home cooks. In our article today, we will try to briefly talk about these basic principles, illustrating what was said with the recipe for an example, so that cooking meat is, as they say, a joy and pleasure! Well, let's get started?
Choose the right one
A very important step in the preparation of meat (pork, beef, veal, lamb) is its proper choice for the particular dish you plan. Especially when it comes to grilling or, for example, barbecue. And in the oven, as a rule, not every pulp is soft and tender. And from the sternum or ham, the optimal steak (or steak) to cook is almost impossible (and undesirable). For grilling in a pan or grilling, you can choose fillet (tenderloin), a thick or thin layer. The quality of the final product will also depend on the age of the slaughtered animals: the younger, the tastier.
A few words about the marinade
Before cooking, meat is in many cases better to marinate. The easiest way is to sprinkle the pulp with peppers and pour with vegetable oil, previously rubbing with crushed garlic. Salting, by the way, is not recommended: salt causes the release of juices, and this reduces the taste of the dish. Therefore, experienced chefs advise doing this in the very finale of frying or baking.
Ribs Recipe
The “quick” marinade works well when frying pork or veal ribs. We cut them portionwise, slightly beat off, put into a container, sprinkle with chopped onions and caraway seeds, parsley and parsley (root). Then pour with vegetable oil, mixing it with lemon juice (freshly squeezed), with peppers and salt. Leave to soak for a while. Then fry in well-heated lean oil over medium heat until cooked.
Do not flip frequently
When cooking meat (frying), you should not often turn it over. As a rule, this is done only when the 1st side is almost ready, well-done. You should also decide what degree of readiness (deep fried, medium, with blood) you want to get at the exit. Only some beef dishes (for example, a steak or the same roast beef) can become half-fried, but lamb with veal and pork should not be cooked like this.
Fried meat recipe
We need a kilo of pork tenderloin (you can marinate it previously in any composition that is familiar to you), vegetable oil, breading, egg, salt with spices. Cut the flesh into slices 1.5 centimeters thick and beat it with a wooden mallet to the “schnitzel” state. Dip the slices in a beaten raw egg, seasoned with spices, and roll them in breadcrumbs. Fry over medium heat in well-heated oil for 5 minutes on each side.
Before serving
The taste and aroma of the prepared pieces of pulp during long-term storage significantly deteriorate. Therefore, it is recommended to start cooking meat shortly before serving it to the table. When cooking, for example, in the oven, combine the high initial temperature (for a delicious crust) with a low heat level (more even distribution) closer to the finale. The oven fan (“grill” mode) enhances the heating effect on the surface of the pulp. And before frying, give pork or veal some time to "rest".
Cooking meat in the oven
The main advantage of the oven is that the process can take place over a long period of time. Animal protein is slowly heated, and the internal temperature of the meat is controlled. But, however, do not trust the temperature indicated on the oven door too much - if necessary, it is better to measure it with a separate kitchen appliance.
It should be remembered: the very high temperature in the oven, of course, gives the delicacy a delicious crust and shortens the cooking time. But there is a risk that the outer part of the meat will already be ready before the heat reaches the center of the piece (this is especially true when the flesh is baked with a large piece of carcass). Low temperatures in the oven will give a pleasant, even result throughout the piece, and not just a fried and tasty crust. This is why the combination of heat at the beginning, followed by a longer cooking period at low temperature, is the best technology for home-made meat. Now let's turn to the recipe. Undoubtedly, in such a short article it is impossible to cover the whole variety of dishes prepared on the basis of meat. Here is another one of them.
French meat, or "Diplomat"
It’s at home, in captain’s way, “Surprise”. They say that originally the dish was called Veau Orloff, and for the first time it was prepared by special order for Count Orlov, a favorite of the Empress, who made Paris happy at the time. Since then, the food has practically not changed (such as happened, for example, with the recipes of the beloved Olivier). Only the mushroom component fell out of the initial one, and the place of veal was taken by pork or lamb, as an option, or chicken meat, turkey.
By the way, professional chefs themselves say that the dish is so simple that there is virtually no way to “screw it up”. Even a novice home lover who respects nutritious protein foods will master a simple way to make it without hassle. For this we need the following ingredients: a kilo of pork pulp, several large potato tubers, several onions, three hundred grams of hard cheese, salt with peppers, seasonings for meat (your favorite, according to individual preferences). Well, of course, Provence - where without him! As already seen, the set of products is quite affordable. But the recipe itself will require some "curtsy" on which the outcome may depend. So, let's get started.
Cooking French meat in the oven
- Pork for a dish needs to be cut across the fiber in thin slices - about two centimeters in thickness. We need it so that the dish comes out juicy. And so that it is tender, slightly beat the flesh out with a hammer from a tree. If it is not at hand, the back of the knife may come in handy for these purposes. Having beaten off the meat, we proceed to the vegetables.
- We clean, wash, cut tubers in circles. We make the rings not too thick - about half a centimeter, a little more. We need this for uniform baking of the components.
- All housewives know: peeled potatoes are getting dark. To avoid this, we put the tubers in a cool little water. She really will preserve the root crop, but then before preparing the dish, the potatoes need to be dried with a kitchen towel, otherwise he will “shoot” on a baking sheet in the oven.
- Now we take up the bulbs. We clean them, wash them, cut into half rings / rings, add a little salt, add sugar on the tip of the knife, and sprinkle with apple cider vinegar.
- We grate hard cheese coarsely and proceed to the design of the dish on a baking sheet.
- By the way, depending on individual taste, the sequence of layers may vary. But the following is considered traditional: first, the potatoes, which we salt / pepper, and on top - the chopped flesh.
- Some prefer to pre-soak it in the marinade, then a lot of seasonings are no longer required. And if the meat is not seasoned, sprinkle it with a set of spices for pork. Top with onions and some mayonnaise.
- It is added according to individual taste. When put too much, it drains onto a baking sheet, turning into a sauce (it may burn). And some housewives, on the contrary, prefer to add a little Provence, so that he doesn’t even get on the potatoes. It's a matter of taste. In any case, such a meal can not be called dietary.
- But the cheese is always put in a fair amount, but only in the last phase of cooking (when the meat is almost "reached").
- We put the filled baking sheet or container for baking in the oven heated to 180-200 degrees. A “French” dish is made from half an hour to forty minutes.
- Cooking meat, the photo of which can be seen below, can be considered completed. A signal for its readiness will be soft potatoes and a freely pierced pork fork.
Curious fact
Although the dish is called meat in French, however, in France this dish simply does not exist. Only in the Alsace area is there a culinary delicacy, which includes meat with onions, carrots and potatoes. This masterpiece is called bekeoffe. Unlike the usual recipe, cheese with mayonnaise is not put in the backoff, and the whole layer is made up of whole pears.