Stuffed with minced meat: what unusual cutlets are prepared in restaurants
Cutlets are usually perceived as classics of home cooking, however, the restaurant industry does not ignore them either. Izvestia found out what interesting minced meat dishes can be found in the gastronomic projects of the capital today.
Russian classics
Pozharsky cutlets are one of the most famous dishes of Russian cuisine, glorified by many classics of Russian literature, from Pushkin to Ilf and Petrov. Today it is known for certain that these cutlets appeared in the first half of the 19th century in the tavern at the hotel of Evdokim Pozharsky in Torzhok, and his daughter Daria was engaged in their preparation there. The recipe for her dish was first reproduced from memory by Ignaty Radetsky in the book "Almanac of Gastronomies" in 1853, and since then it has undergone many changes. Already in the twentieth century, a more familiar variation of fire cutlets appeared, generously sprinkled with large cubes of breadcrumbs.
Classic Pozharsky cutlet
The memory of this historical dish is carefully preserved in the restaurant "Cafe Pushkin", where the annual Pozharsky cutlet festival is held until April 30. The main character of the eight-item special menu will be the classic Pozharsky cutlet, introduced by chef Andrey Makhov 27 years ago and has since become the hallmark of the project. The master of haute cuisine has reworked Radetsky's recipe, and in his version, the cutlet is made from chopped chicken fillet, veal, butter, cream and covered with breadcrumbs from wheat breadcrumbs. It is served on a bone with papillose and baked potatoes fried in butter with garlic and thyme, in two portions — standard and small.
Pozharskaya cutlet with madeira sauce
Another festival fireman's cutlet also refers to the original version of the dish, but with touches of French cuisine traditions. It is prepared without breadcrumbs, covered with madeira sauce glaze and served with gratin potatoes. No less remarkable are the ladies' cutlets, which are the closest to the original variation of the dish from Daria Pozharskaya. They are made from chopped chicken breast with butter, rolled in small breadcrumbs and fried in a copper saucepan in a large amount of oil. As a side dish— mashed potatoes and sauerkraut with fruit.
Balkan pleskavica
Fans of Balkan cuisine are probably familiar with pleskavica, a round, flat cutlet of minced meat. The name of the dish comes from the Serbian word "pekescati", which in Russian means "to clap". This action very accurately describes the method of cooking the cutlet: it needs to be kneaded and patted for a long time to achieve the correct thickness and elastic consistency. One of the variants of pleskavica is now presented in a special German menu at the True Cost Belorusskaya restaurant.
Pleskavica
"Traditional pleskavitsa is prepared from a mixture of beef and grilled pork, and finely chopped onions, salt, black pepper, kidney fat, garlic and seasonings are added to the minced meat," Alim Kumyshev, brand chief of the True Cost chain, told Izvestia. — Our pleskavica differs from the classics in that instead of pork, we add smoked bacon to the minced meat, thereby giving the dish a brighter taste. And we serve the cutlet with shukrut and egg.
According to our interlocutor, pleskavica fits well into the German style, since in the gastronomic culture of Germany today there are many intersections with Balkan cuisine, which is associated with the residence in the country of a large number of immigrants from the former Yugoslavia.
Japanese hambagu
Another wave of popularity of Japanese cuisine has brought the previously little-known gourmet hamburger patty to the gastronomic life of the capital. In fact, this is an interpretation of the Hamburg steak (the name just comes from the word "hamburger"), only a softer and more airy version of it, with a souffle-like texture. This dish does not belong to the traditional cuisine of Japan, but appeared in the depths of the yoshoku direction, which adapts European recipes to local tastes and products. In Moscow, hambaga can be found on the menu of the new Japanese restaurant Motto Azabu, which develops the concept of modern Tokyo cuisine.
Humbug with shimeji and truffle
—Most often, khambaga is made from a mixture of beef and pork, but in more premium versions only beef is used,— explained Vadim Malkov, chef of Motto Azabu, to our publication. — Panko breadcrumbs, egg and onion are usually added to the minced meat, which makes the cutlet structure tender and juicy. It is served, as a rule, with sauces — for example, demiglas or tomato sauces with characteristic density. The dish can be complemented with different toppings, the composition of which varies depending on the region.
Our expert's interpretation of hambagu uses Japanese wagyu beef of categories A5 and A4 with varying degrees of fat content, which allows for a more complex taste and texture. The minced meat is double-scrolled through a meat grinder. The base is prepared separately — a mixture of eggs, panko, nutmeg and two types of onions (blanched and fresh). Then this mass is combined with the minced meat. The key point of the technology is strict temperature control: meat and all ingredients must remain cold at all stages. After scrolling, the minced meat is cooled, then additionally punched in a mixer with the addition of ice, which allows you to get that airy, almost creamy texture. When serving, the dish is complemented with demiglas sauce, egg, truffle and fried shimeji mushrooms, and in the final, kombucha powder with Japanese plum ume is added.
For those who would like to try to cook hambaga at home, chef Vadim Malkov gave some practical recommendations. Instead of wagyu, you can use good beef with sufficient fat content — this is the basis of taste. Minced meat and a mixture of panko and egg should be as cold as possible. For a more delicate texture, ice should be added at the kneading stage. To make the structure of the minced meat homogeneous, scroll it through the meat grinder at least twice. Form the patty carefully, slightly flattening it (so it cooks evenly), and do not overcook the hambaga so that it remains juicy inside.
Turkish kefte
Turkish cuisine is famous for its keftes. In texture and consistency, they look more like burger patties. Beef and lamb are traditionally used for minced meat. The meat is finely chopped with sharp knives, then kneaded with spices for a long time, necessarily adding pool beer, mint and cumin. A large assortment of kefte is presented in the capital at the Levantine restaurant, where the cutlets are grilled on a hot grill.
Kasab kefte
— In Turkey, you can find dozens of different variations of kefte — fried, stewed, with or without sauce, with the addition of cereals, cheese and herbs, and even vegan kefte from Bulgur with spices that are not heat—treated, - Levantine chef Alexander Mandron shares his observation. — We cook juicy ichli kefte at home without any author's bells and whistles, just like they do in Turkey. And we put cheddar cheese in the minced meat for kefta kasharli.
Ichli kefte
Kefta meat should be chosen with a small fat layer so that the cutlets turn out juicy, advises our interlocutor. Minced meat should be carefully chopped, add spices to it to your liking, and then knead for a long time and finally chop it off. You can fry the cutlets both on the grill and in a hot frying pan for literally 3 minutes on each side, and then cover with a lid and let them walk for another 5 minutes.
Cutlets with game
Restaurant dishes with wild animal meat have already become a familiar part of the gastronomic life of the capital. At the same time, chefs still manage to find rare products, positions with which can arouse additional interest and even surprise among guests. Such interesting finds include pheasant cutlets in the Voronezh meat restaurant.
Pheasant cutlet
—Pheasant meat has an expressive dark color and rich taste, especially in wild birds, although it is difficult to cook it in restaurants, since it is almost impossible to completely remove the hunting shot from it," explained Sergey Volkonenkov, chef of the Voronezh restaurant. — We use farm-raised pheasant meat, and it is optimally suited for cutlets. Practice has shown that for other dishes (for example, beef stroganoff) it is not suitable because of its excessive rigidity, and in order to achieve a good result, it has to be stewed or stewed for too long.
To make the pheasant cutlets more juicy, they also add a little beef and chicken, fried onions and butter. The finished minced meat is allowed to rest for about an hour and each portion is prepared as orders are received. Cutlets are served with demiglas-based lingonberry sauce, leaving the choice of side dish to the guest.
Game is also great for kebabs, as this technique allows you to preserve and emphasize the natural taste of meat as much as possible. Unlike classic cutlets, the kebab does not use eggs, cream or bread. One of the options for kebab with wild animal meat can be found in the Manul restaurant of Russian cuisine. It is served in sauerkraut bread with marmalade onions, bacon jam and cabbage with apples. The dish is complemented by a rich apple and cabbage demiglas with a slight sourness.
Game kebab with sauerkraut bread and apple demiglas
— Our game kebab is shaped like an oblong cutlet, fried until golden brown, which at the same time remains juicy and dense in texture inside, — said Victor Shaidetsky, chef of the Manul restaurant. — We cook it from wild boar and moose meat with the addition of beef fat. There is no bread, eggs or cream in the composition, only meat and onions. Due to this, the meat taste of the dish is more pure and concentrated.
When preparing a game kebab, it is important not to overload the main product with unnecessary ingredients, our expert advises. All you will need is cooked meat, fat and onions. Fat, such as beef or turkey fat, is necessary for juiciness, as the game itself is quite lean. The proportions should be selected so that this component makes up a sufficient part of the minced meat, otherwise the kebab will turn out to be dry. It is also important not to over-dry the meat when frying: the game quickly loses moisture, so it is better to cook the kebab over medium heat and not over-heat it.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
