I really like making minced cutlets. This is a quick and proven dinner that the whole family enjoys. At the same time, I can’t imagine cooking the same thing over and over again, so I vary it from time to time. I add, for example, crumbled feta cheese, grated cauliflower or chopped parsley. I once had some leftover broccoli in the fridge and I didn’t want it to go to waste. So I added it to the meat mixture and that’s how they were created minced cutlets with broccoli. They come out soft, juicy and really tasty.
Dry minced cutlets are a problem that happens even to experienced cooks. From the outside they look brown and appetizing, but when cut, they turn out to be compact and hard. Most often, the culprit is incorrect proportions of ingredients or choosing too lean meat.
The first mistake is to use very lean minced meat, e.g. poultry shoulder or lean pork ham. The fat in meat serves an important function – is responsible for the juiciness and tenderness of the cutlet. When there is too little of it, the meat becomes dry and brittle after frying. It is best to choose meat with a small but visible fat content or to combine two types, e.g. pork with a bit of beef.
The second reason is the wrong proportions of additives. Too much breadcrumbs, eggs or other additives can make the cutlets hard and compact. Classically, bread soaked in milk is added to the ground bread – its task is to retain moisture inside. However, if we overdo the amount of dry breadcrumbs or completely omit the moisturizing ingredient, the effect will be the opposite.
Another issue is kneading the mass for too long. Of course, you need to thoroughly combine the ingredients, but excessive kneading causes this the meat loses its aeration and becomes compact. As a result, after frying, the cutlets are heavy and hard. It’s also worth remembering about frying time – keeping it in the pan for too long, especially on low heat, causes excessive evaporation of juices.
The frying temperature is also important. If the pan is not hot enough, the cutlets will release their juices and stew instead of frying. If the fire is too strong, they quickly brown on the outside, but lose moisture on the inside.
Including recipe for minced cutlets with broccoli I don’t use classic bread soaked in milk. Instead I add a little vegetable broth. Thanks to this, the meat mass is more moist, and the cutlets remain soft and juicy after frying. Additionally, finely grated broccoli releases some moisture during processingwhich also affects the structure and taste of the dish.
Minced cutlets with broccoli are prepared very similarly to classic ones. The difference is adding grated broccoli to the meat mass. The whole process – mixing, shaping and frying – looks almost identical. As a result, they arise fragrant and ruddy cutletswhich are very juicy and have a delicately vegetable aroma.
Ingredients:
- 300 g minced meat (pork shoulder),
- broccoli root,
- egg size L,
- 50 g sera gorgonzola,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 50 ml vegetable broth,
- breadcrumbs (1/2 cup + for rolling),
- salt and pepper to taste,
- oil for frying.
How to do it:
1. Wash the broccoli thoroughly and dry it. Divide into smaller florets and grate them using a vegetable grater.
2. Place the minced meat in a deep bowl. Add grated broccoli, cheese, breadcrumbs (1/2 cup, i.e. approx. 55 g) and add the egg. Peel the garlic cloves and press them through a press. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour in the broth.
3. Knead the mixture well – so that the ingredients are combined. If it is too thin, add more breadcrumbs.
4. Form cutlets about 2 cm thick. Roll in breadcrumbs.
5. Heat more oil in a pan. Fry the cutlets on both sides until golden brown. Serve warm.
It’s worth thinking about what to serve with minced cutlets with broccoli. They taste great with traditional potatoes with water and a little butter. They fit too for barley or buckwheat groats. It will work well as an addition grated carrot and apple salad or classic pickled cucumber. It’s a simple dinner that combines home tradition with a bit of culinary experimentation.
Source: Terazgotuje.pl
