Like many modern dishes, cutlets take their history from Europe. Initially, a cutlet was a piece of meat on a bone, for which it was convenient to hold it. For the preparation of cutlets, they took a part of the carcass that was closer to the ribs, but if it was about a bird, then the thigh part was best suited for this.
In Russia, cutlets began to be prepared at the time of the closest approach to European culture, namely during the time of Peter. Over time, the recipe has undergone changes, its evolution coincided with the spread of cutlery. Cookbooks from the 19th century offer recipes for minced meat cutlets, that is, exactly the cooking recipe we are most used to.
In modern Russian cuisine, a cutlet is a piece of fried minced meat. Raw materials for the preparation of minced meat can serve not only meat, but also fish, seafood, vegetables and mushrooms.
For meat cutlets, you can use a variety of combinations of meat varieties: beef and lamb, pork, each housewife chooses the proportions based on her own experience. You can also apply to additional ingredients when cooking cutlets, someone adds eggs, someone puts bread, and some prefer just fried minced meat, the taste of which is not altered by any additives.
Cutlets are often included in diet menus. But in order for the cutlet to really be a dietary dish, it does not need to be fried. You can steam cutlets or in the oven and try to use as little pork or bacon as possible. Diet cutlets, as a rule, are made from minced chicken or fish, as the most useful, low-calorie and easily digestible foods.
Of course, it is best to cook minced meat for making cutlets on your own, but given the constant lack of time, you can buy ready-made minced meat in the store if you are sure of its quality. For juicy cutlets, it is best to use a mixture of ground beef and pork.
Minced meat cutlets
Ingredients:
- Minced meat – 500 gr.
- Luk – 1 No.
- Egg – 2 pcs.
- White bread – 1/3 loaf
- Salt – to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil – for frying
Soak the bread in water or milk, separate it from the crust and mix the pulp with the minced meat. Add eggs, finely chopped onion and spices there. Mix everything thoroughly, the better to knead the minced meat, the more airy the cutlets will be.
Heat oil in a frying pan, form cutlets from minced meat and fry them on both sides until tender.
Any food can serve as a garnish for cutlets.
Chicken cutlets with tomato
Ingredients:
- Chicken mince – 350 gr.
- Tomatoes – 1 pieces.
- White bread – 1 piece.
- Luk – 1 No.
- Salt – to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil – for frying
Pour boiling water over the tomato and remove the skin from it. Chop the onion in a blender.
Add minced meat, bread, tomato to a blender and mix everything. Add salt and pepper.
After that, mix the minced meat well with your hands, as the cutlets turn out to be more juicy.
Heat oil in a frying pan, form small patties and fry them on both sides until tender. Decorate the dish with fresh tomatoes and herbs.
Fish cakes with vegetables
White fish are best for this recipe.
Ingredients:
Fish fillet – 700 gr.
- Luk – 2 No.
- Egg – 2 pcs.
- Zucchini – 150 gr.
- White bread – 2 pieces
- Bulgarian pepper – 2 pc.
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Lemon – 1 pcs.
- Salt – to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil – for frying
Cut the onion into half rings and fry a little.
Grate the zucchini and put it on a sieve so that the excess liquid is glass.
Soak the bread in water or milk.
Pass the fish fillet through a meat grinder, scroll the onion, zucchini and bread with the fish. Add eggs, salt and pepper. Knead the minced meat thoroughly and leave it in the refrigerator for an hour to ripen.
While the minced meat is infused, bake the bell pepper in the oven. Once it’s ready, peel and seed it and chop it.
Squeeze the lemon juice, mix it with pepper, add salt and pepper to the mixture.
Take out the minced meat, form flat cakes from it, put pepper on each of which and form a cutlet so that it is completely closed.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry cutlets on both sides until tender.
Cauliflower and turkey cutlets
Ingredients:
- Turkey fillet – 200 gr.
- Cauliflower – 150 gr.
- Onions – 1/2 pc.
- Egg – 1 pcs.
- Garlic – 3 cloves
- Flour – 1 Art. l
- Vegetable oil – for frying
- Water – 1 l.
Boil cauliflower in salted water for 4-5 minutes. Cool and disassemble into inflorescences.
Cut the turkey fillet into small pieces and mince. Crank the cauliflower, onion and garlic. Add flour, egg, salt and spices to the minced meat, knead thoroughly and let stand in the refrigerator for a while.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry patties until golden brown on both sides.
Crab cutlets
Ingredients:
- Crab sticks – 1 pack
- Hard cheese – 150 gr.
- Egg – 2 pcs.
- Salt – to taste
- Flour – 1/2 tbsp.
- Vegetable oil – for frying
Chop the crab sticks very finely, you can use a blender for this.
Grate the cheese on a fine grater.
Mix cheese and sticks, add eggs, salt and spices. If the minced meat seems a little thin to you, you can add flour to it.
Form patties. Dip them in flour and fry in hot oil until golden brown.
There are a lot of variations of cooking cutlets, if your family loves cutlets, then on our website you will find recipes that will allow you to present your favorite family dish in different ways.