One of the traditional dishes of Russian cuisine is cutlets. Almost every housewife knows how to cook them. At the same time, many make minced meat for beef and pork cutlets according to the classic recipe. However, if you wish, you can introduce a new product that will positively affect the taste of the finished dish.
How cutlets appeared
Before you learn how to make beef and pork minced meat patties - juicy and fragrant, you should plunge into history. How did this dish appear? It is worth noting that cutlets looked and prepared initially differently from what they are now. The dish first appeared in France. And no wonder. After all, this country is considered the birthplace of numerous culinary delights. Cutlets were pieces of meat, not separated from the ribs. Around them wrapped several layers of pulp like cakes. A bone should have been required. After all, it was convenient to hold on to her. Do not forget that in the old days etiquette did not provide for the use of a fork and knife when eating meat dishes.
Today, the cutlet is made from minced meat, mushrooms, vegetables and fish. After some time, similar dishes appeared, such as meatballs, schnitzels, meatballs , steaks and so on.
How much bread do you need
Why do some housewives get cutlets tasty, juicy and fragrant, while others get a tough, dry dish? To get the cutlets from minced beef and pork juicy and soft, you should follow a few simple tips. They will help to achieve excellent results.
You should not add a lot of bread and other components to the minced meat for beef and pork cutlets. Such additives are not used to save food, but to obtain an extraordinary structure of the finished dish.
Potatoes and bread make the patties juicy and airy. However, such ingredients should not be more in minced meat than meat. Otherwise, not only the taste will suffer. Such cutlets may fall apart or be too dry. By the way, many professional chefs recommend using stale bread to prepare such a dish . This will avoid stickiness.
Stuffing Products
So that the mincemeat for beef and pork cutlets is good, you should choose fresh and high-quality products. It should not be forgotten that it is difficult to make something good and healthy out of tasteless ingredients. Therefore, do not buy minced meat of dubious quality in the store. It is best to cook it yourself.
Most often, hard parts of the carcass, where there are films and cartilage, are used for making minced meat at home. In addition, pulp from the shoulder blades, sirloin, neck and brisket is perfect. If you want to combine lean beef and fatty pork, then it is worth observing a ratio of 2 to 1. The result is more juicy meatballs. If necessary, you can add a little fat. The minced meat of this component should be no more than a quarter of the volume of beef.
Before chopping the meat should be cleaned of cartilage, veins and films. Thanks to this, the mass will become pleasant in texture and more uniform.
Add the bow correctly
If you add onions, you get delicious meatballs from minced beef and pork. However, here there are some peculiarities. Do not add large pieces of onion. It should be passed through a meat grinder. In addition, proportions should be considered. For 1 kilogram of minced meat, about 200 grams of onion is required.
Some cooks recommend finely chopping this component, and then fry it in oil. Then the ready-made cutlets will taste more palatable.
Secrets of delicious cutlets
If you cook yourself minced meat for beef and pork cutlets, then you should remember a few secrets of a delicious dish:
- In the prepared meat, add a few tablespoons of water, preferably cold. You can also use a piece of ice. As a result, ready-made cutlets will be more juicy, since during the cooking process water will evaporate, not juice.
- Butter made from cream gives airiness.
- You should be careful with chicken eggs. This product allows not only to keep the products in shape, but also makes them more rigid. Do not lay 3 eggs per 1 kilogram of meat. Replace them better with grated potatoes.
- Enriching the taste of cutlets can be done in a very simple way - adding zucchini, potatoes or carrots to the minced meat. These products will make the dish softer.
- To make the stuffing “sticky”, you can beat it on the surface of the table. This manipulation will allow to saturate the product with air, which will make ready-made cutlets lush and tender.
- Various spices added to the mincemeat for beef and pork cutlets will add flavor to the dish. The recipe from the photo, alas, is not able to convey the aroma. Cooks recommend using parsley, sweet paprika, a mixture of various peppers, nutmeg, marjoram, thyme, garlic and so on.
- Ghee is recommended to use ghee as frying fat. If such a product is not affordable, then lard can be used. But if necessary, you can fry cutlets in vegetable oil, but odorless.
- To get a delicious crust, it is first recommended to fry the stuffed meat on medium heat. They have to brown. It should be brought to readiness over low heat. At the end of cooking, the flame can be increased.
Knowing such secrets, you can start cooking minced meatballs. There are a lot of recipes for such a dish. This requires the preparation of different minced meat.
Classic cutlets
How to cook classic homemade minced meatballs? Pork, beef and other ingredients must be of high quality. To prepare, you need:
- 1 kg of mixed forcemeat (beef and pork).
- Bread or loaf, preferably stale and dry - 200 g.
- Raw Egg - 1 pc.
- Onions - 3 pcs.
- Water at room temperature - 1.5 cups.
- Pepper and salt.
Cooking
To begin with, it is worth preparing minced meat for beef and pork cutlets. The recipe involves the following steps step by step. First of all, put the bread in a deep bowl and fill it with water. You can also use milk for these purposes. When the bread softens, the liquid must be drained.
Onions must be peeled and minced or finely chopped. If desired, you can fry it, but only in butter. In a bowl with softened bread, put the minced meat and chopped onion, beat the egg. Do not forget about spices and salt. When all the ingredients are in the bowl, mix them well. That's all, mincemeat for cutlets is ready. It remains only to form the patties and fry them. After the dish is ready, you can pour a little water into the pan and steam everything for 10 minutes.
Cutlets with herbs
To cook meatballs of beef and pork with herbs, you will need:
- Mixed minced meat - 600 g.
- Onion - 1 head.
- White bread - 3 slices.
- Fresh milk - ½ tbsp.
- Egg - 1 pc.
- Parsley and dill - 1 bunch each.
- Garlic - no more than 2 cloves.
- Ground pepper, salt, breading flour.
Cooking process
To begin with, it is worth cooking the minced meat, chopping beef and pork with a meat grinder. But if you wish, you can take the finished mass in the store. The main thing is that the minced meat was fresh. Milk should be warmed up a little, and then pour them slices of bread. They should soften.
It is recommended to chop dill and parsley. Liquid should be drained from bread, and then added to the container with minced meat. It is also necessary to add greens, onions, eggs, salt and spices. Mix the minced meat for the cutlets with your hands. That's all. The mass is ready. It remains only to make oval shaped blanks, roll them in flour and fry.
Juicy minced beef and pork cutlets
To cook such cutlets, you will need:
- 1 kg of minced beef and pork.
- 100 g of hard cheese.
- 2 onions.
- 2 eggs.
- 4 slices of loaf or crackers.
- Pepper and salt.
- 100 g butter from cream.
- 1 pack of breadcrumbs.
- Flour for breading.
- 2 tbsp. spoons of dill.
Cooking steps
These cutlets are prepared with the filling. To do this, grate the cheese on a fine grater. Butter should be softened. After that, it is necessary to grind it with a fork, mix with chopped dill and cheese. From the resulting mass, you need to roll small oval balls. The filling is ready.
Now you can cook minced meat for beef and pork cutlets. It is not worth doing without eggs. Rusks of bread should be cut into pieces, and then pour them with cold water. When they become soft, it is necessary to drain the liquid. Onions should be peeled and then chopped. It can be finely chopped or grated. Pork and beef should be twisted in a meat grinder. In a deep container, put the minced meat, crackers, egg, spices and salt. The components must be mixed well.
Now the minced meat is divided into portions and wrap the filling in it. Rolls should be rolled in flour, dipped in a beaten egg, and then roll again in breadcrumbs. After that, you need to fry the meatballs over medium heat.
Cutlets "Hercules"
In this case, no eggs are added to the minced meat. They are replaced by oatmeal. To get juicy meatballs from beef with pork, you will need:
- 1 kg of mixed meat.
- 300 ml of milk.
- 140 g of oatmeal flakes.
- 2 onions.
- Pepper, salt.
- 100 g flour or breadcrumbs.
- A bunch of greens.
How to cook
Beef and pork should be separated from bones, cartilage, veins and films. After this, the meat needs to be chopped. This can be done using a meat grinder. In the prepared mincemeat, pour milk that has previously been warmed to room temperature. Onions need to be cleaned and grated or finely chopped. The resulting slurry should be transferred to a container with minced meat. Salt, greens, pepper, and oatmeal should also be added here. The last component is recommended to grind with a coffee grinder.
Stuffing for cutlets should be mixed, and then placed in the refrigerator for an hour, after closing the container with plastic wrap. After the specified time, it will be possible to form cutlets and fry them. In conclusion, it is recommended to extinguish them.
Rice Recipe
Minced meat for cutlets can be cooked with rice. This will require:
- 1 kg of minced meat.
- 200 g of rice, preferably round.
- 2 eggs.
- 2 onions.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- Salt pepper.
- Flour.
How to make cutlets
First, rinse the rice in cold water. Now you need to pour it into the pan and pour boiling water. At the same time, 1 cup of rice requires 2 glasses of water. Onions and garlic should be peeled and then minced with minced meat. In the resulting mixture you need to add rice, salt, spices, and then mix well. From the mixture it is worth forming cutlets and fry them in vegetable oil.
Fast cutlets
If desired, you can cook meatballs of beef, pork and chicken. In this case, the dish is obtained with an extraordinary structure. However, most often only pork and beef are used. To quickly cook cutlets, you will need:
- 600 g of mixed meat.
- 4 eggs.
- 2 raw potatoes.
- A bunch of green onions.
- 50 g mayonnaise.
- 3 tbsp. tablespoons of flour.
- Spice.
Cooking method
Chives should be finely chopped. The potatoes must be peeled and then grated. After that, you need to cook mixed minced meat. In the resulting mass should be added pepper, potatoes, salt and green onions. All ingredients must be mixed well. Then add flour and mayonnaise to the mixture. After mixing from the mass, preforms should be formed, and then fry them in oil.
In conclusion
Cooking the right stuffing for beef and pork cutlets is only half the battle. It is important to make it light, airy and tender. To do this, it is recommended to place the prepared meat in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Stir components recommended by hand. This will determine the consistency of the mixture, as well as remove all lumps. During the formation of cutlets, the stuffing often sticks to the hands, so that this does not happen, you can moisten them in cold water.