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Pojarski Cutlet

A key component of the traditional Pojarski is the incorporation of butter and cream to help maintain the cutlets moist texture. The butter can be in the form of softened butter. My recipe uses all the butter from the cooked vegetables. The two different sauces work well with this dish.
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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients mince mix:
  • 100 g mushrooms cold rinsed, dried, sliced.
  • One medium onion peeled, medium size chop.
  • One medium carrot about 120g, peeled, medium size chop.
  • One stick celery washed, string removed either with a peeler or pulled off with finger tips. Alternatively use the tender inside sticks. Medium chop.
  • 40 g butter
  • 2 xsprigs fresh thyme leaf only.
  • 500 g minced veal pork or chicken, or a mixture of all three, but not just chicken.
  • 100 ml thickened cream.
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper.
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
  • 2 x egg yolks
  • 80 g white bread made into breadcrumbs.
  • Olive oil or other good quality vegetable oil for shallow frying.
  • Ingredients coating:
  • One egg.
  • 60 ml milk
  • 50 g plain flour.
  • 200 g approx. packet of Panko crumb.

Method
 

  1. In a lidded pot and melt the butter. Add the vegetables and Thyme.
  2. Turn up the medium heat, give them a stir and lid the pot. Turn the heat down. Avoid colouring the vegetables. You are “sweating” the vegetables and they will need an occasional stir and this should take about 12 minutes until they are tender.
  3. When ready, cool the mix a little and using a spatula turn the vegetables and the melted butter into your blender. Blend to a coarse paste. Cool this mix in the fridge.
  4. In a suitable sized bowl place the mince, seasonings, nutmeg, egg yolks and the white breadcrumbs. Mix well.
  5. Add in the chilled vegetable mix. Continue mixing until well combined. The mixture will have a sticky texture. Cover and refrigerate.
  6. Meanwhile in a new separate bowl prepare the egg wash with the egg, milk and leftover egg whites
  7. In a separate shallow dish place the flour, while the Panko crumb should be placed in another shallow dish. You will be crumbing the meat mix. Other terms used for the same process are “breading” and the French term “pane”.
  8. Preheat your oven to 180c.
  9. Divide the meat mix into four and form the portions into large meatballs.
  10. In order pass the meatballs through flour, brushing off excess. Next the the egg wash and finally the crumb. Press the down crumb firmly (avoid wet spots) before placing the crumbed meatball on a clean tray.
  11. While on the tray flatten the meatball to about 2cm thick and at the same time shape it into something similar to a pork loin cutlet or veal cutlet or an elongated kidney shape.
  12. When all done place them in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
  13. Heat the oil (medium heat) in a fry pan (about 3mm) and place the Pojarski Cutlets in. After about 3 minutes, when golden brown turn them and achieve the same on the other side.
  14. Remove the cutlets and place on an oven tray and then the oven.
  15. The cutlets should be cooked in around 20 minutes.
  16. Accompanying sauces are Sour cream sauce and Roasted tomato sauce (recipes follow).
  17. The cutlets were served with mashed potato and green beans wrapped in bacon.