Homemade cutlets are a popular minced meat dish.

Simple and satisfying cutlets with a crispy crust will fit perfectly into your family dinner menu and will decorate any holiday feast.

Cutlets are eaten both hot and cold.

They can be a separate dish or served along with any side dish, be it salad, mashed potatoes or stewed vegetables. Remember that no cutlets from the best restaurants in the world can compare with home-made cutlets - made by the housewife with her own hands with trepidation and love.

General cooking principles

1. To prepare tasty and juicy cutlets, it is important to choose the right minced meat. It is best to mix several types of minced meat, where you can choose the combination to your taste. But remember that store-bought minced meat cannot replace homemade minced meat, minced by the housewife herself in a meat grinder. If it is not possible to prepare it yourself, be sure to check the freshness and quality of the meat, because this is the decisive stage in preparing cutlets.

2. Don’t forget to add a bun or bread to the minced meat. This is the main rule for obtaining juicy and tender meat. It is the slices of bread that hold the juice in the cutlets, like a sponge, completely absorbing it.

3. Cutlets can be coated in either flour or breadcrumbs. This is left to your choice.

4. Don’t forget to add spices and herbs to homemade cutlets, this will add a touch of piquancy and sophistication.

Classic homemade cutlets

minced meat (homemade or purchased) – 500 g;

2 cloves of garlic;

salt, black and red pepper;

1-2 slices of bread;

flour – 3-4 tbsp. spoons.

1. Peel the onion and grate or grind in a blender. Finely chop the garlic cloves and herbs.

2. Cut the pieces of bread into slices and dry them. Then soak in water, they will give the cutlets incredible juiciness. Without this step, the cutlets will taste dry. Subsequently knead and squeeze and only then add to the minced meat.

3. Combine all of the above ingredients in a deep bowl, mix thoroughly in a food processor or with a spoon. We beat the minced meat with our hands, throwing it on a hard surface.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Take a small amount of meat with a spoon, place it on top of the flour and sprinkle with it. Form a round patty in your palm and place it in a hot frying pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes. When we turn it over to the second side, turn off the heat a little.

Homemade cutlets in breadcrumbs

2 pieces of dry loaf;

1. Chop the onion, break the egg and add the bread soaked in water (milk) to the minced meat.

2. Knead the minced meat thoroughly until a mass of homogeneous consistency is obtained.

3. Form a cutlet in breadcrumbs and place it in a frying pan with vegetable oil, set on low heat. Breaded with breadcrumbs, the cutlets look much more appetizing. When you feel that they are browned, feel free to turn them over. Typically, cutlets are fried in breadcrumbs for 2 minutes on each side.

4. An excellent addition to these cutlets would be a salad of boiled beets with the addition of onions, garlic, salt and pepper, seasoned with unrefined vegetable oil and sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar. Cutlets with potatoes are quite high in calories. A beet salad goes perfectly with the dish.

Homemade beef and turkey cutlets with semolina

minced meat (beef and turkey) – 1200 g;

onions - 300 g;

fresh or granulated garlic;

3 tbsp. spoons of semolina;

salt and black pepper;

water - 2/3 cup;

sour cream – 300 g.

1. Thoroughly knead the onion, ground in a meat grinder or grated on a fine grater.

2. You can add potatoes or white bread in water or milk to the minced meat. But this recipe offers another solution: semolina. It perfectly keeps the cutlet in shape and prevents them from becoming deformed.

3. It is advisable to beat the minced meat and leave it for 15-20 minutes so that it is well saturated with spices.

4. Distribute the minced meat on the table in the shape of a rectangle, divide it in half, each half into 3 more parts. You can make any shape. Sprinkle each cutlet well in flour.

5. Fry for 3 minutes on each side in a preheated frying pan.

6. Place the fried cutlets in a saucepan, pour about 2/3 cup of water into it, close the lid, and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat until they reach the inside and become softer. Serve with sour cream.

Fluffy homemade cutlets

loaf - 100-150 g;

milk – 200 ml;

flour – 5-7 tbsp. spoon;

butter – 2-3 tbsp. spoons;

vegetable oil – 2-3 tbsp. spoons;

1. Cut off the crust of the loaf, fill the crumb with milk and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.

2. In a preheated frying pan, fry finely chopped onion in vegetable oil and butter. Interestingly, butter does not burn when frying and gives food a pleasant creamy taste.

3. Break the egg, separating the yolk from the white.

4. Mix the minced meat, the milk-squeezed bun and the fried onion and yolk. It is advisable to knead the resulting thick mass with your hands. Do not spare effort in beating the minced meat; the better you do this, the more convenient it will be to form the cutlets, and when frying they will retain their shape. We put the beaten minced meat in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to fix its dense state.

5. Beat the egg white until thick white foam is obtained. You can check whether the protein has reached the desired consistency in the following way: when turning the bowl over, it should not spill out of it. Add the whipped whites to the minced meat, mix very carefully so that the integrity of the protein is not compromised, because it is this that will give the cutlets fluffiness.

6. Form the cutlets into thick flat cakes and roll them in flour.

7. Heat the butter and vegetable oil. Place the cutlets and fry until golden brown, turn them over, add a little water to steam them and cover with a lid until cooked.

Soft homemade cutlets with a secret

mixed minced meat (beef and pork) – 500 g;

salt, black pepper;

2 cloves of garlic;

a bun soaked in mineral water;

1. Chop the onion. Add the soaked bun, after squeezing it thoroughly. Grate the garlic.

2. Knead the mass to distribute it evenly.

3. Pour mineral water with gases into a bowl. Sprinkle the minced meat with a pinch of soda. This is our secret ingredient. Yes, soda, because it makes the minced meat soft and helps to loosen it. We extinguish the soda with mineral water, pouring it in drops from above. Together they give the meat extraordinary fluffiness. Knead again to obtain an elastic mass.

4. Add 1 egg. At first the minced meat becomes liquid, but after good kneading it again acquires a thick consistency. Salt and pepper can be adjusted to your preference.

5. Beat the minced meat by throwing it onto a hard surface from a small height. And leave in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

6. Soak each formed cutlet in breadcrumbs.

7. We don’t skimp on the oil, heat the frying pan well. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, uncovered, then simmer over medium heat, covered with a lid.

Homemade cutlets with mustard

minced beef – 500 g;

1 tbsp. spoon of olive oil;

1-2 cloves of garlic;

The sauce is prepared from the following ingredients:

cream with fat content up to 30%;

2 tbsp. spoons of mustard.

1. Chop onion, garlic and parsley.

2. In a deep bowl, mix the ground beef, add the egg, grated onion and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour.

3. Form round cutlets and place in a frying pan with heated olive oil.

4. Prepare the sauce as follows: whip the cream, add mustard.

5. Pour the sauce into the frying pan 10 minutes before turning off the cutlets, simmer over medium heat under the lid.

Homemade cutlets with cheese

minced meat – 600 g;

egg – 1 pc.;

potatoes - 2 pieces;

mayonnaise – 3 tbsp. spoons;

garlic – 2 cloves;

hard cheese – 100 g;

loaf – 200 g.

1. To soften the bread, leave it in a bowl of water for 15-20 minutes, then squeeze it out and add it to the minced meat.

2. Finely chop the potatoes, garlic and onion.

3. Combine chopped vegetables, egg and softened bread in one bowl. Stir thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous mass; it is best to do this with a blender.

4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour so that the minced meat is not liquid. Salt and pepper.

5. Cut the cheese into medium slices.

6. We choose the shape of the cutlets, but it is best to form them in the form of a flatbread, placing a slice of chopped cheese in the middle. Then we hide it in a cutlet and sprinkle flour on top.

7. Fry until golden brown. Simmer for 4-5 minutes over low heat. Serve the cutlets hot so that the cheese inside does not have time to freeze and harden.

Homemade cutlets stuffed with chicken eggs

assorted minced meat – 700 g;

loaf - 2 slices;

chicken egg - 6 pieces;

garlic - 3 slices;

1. In a deep plate, mix the egg, minced meat, slices of loaf soaked in water, finely chopped onion and garlic.

2. Hard-boiled chicken eggs must be finely chopped.

3. Fry onions in a frying pan until golden brown.

4. Mix onions and boiled eggs, add squeezed garlic, salt and pepper.

5. Make flat cakes from the minced meat and place the filling in the middle.

6. The baking sheet must be greased with vegetable oil. And finally, the last stage is to put the cutlets in the oven at 160-180 degrees.

If you use minced pork, the cutlets will turn out fatty, if you use chicken meat, they will be tender and lean. The best alternative is assorted cutlets.

To ensure that the cutlets are not only juicy, but also fluffy, soda slaked with mineral water, lemon juice or vinegar will come to the rescue.

Cutlets love oil, but you shouldn’t overdo it. Otherwise they will be too greasy. It is best to fry them in melted fat.

The question often arises: how long to fry cutlets? The answer is simple: until fully prepared. And readiness can be checked in a simple way. Press the cutlet with a fork; if it releases clear juice, then after 2-3 minutes of steaming you can safely serve it.

If you can feel the onions in the cutlets are undercooked, put them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, thereby bringing them to readiness.

You can serve the cutlets with sour cream, a light salad, a vegetable side dish or standard puree.

Cook with pleasure and love! And remember that the simpler the recipe, the better the result!

It would seem that what’s so difficult about making cutlets? However, for some reason, for some they fall apart, for others, on the contrary, they turn out to be too dense, housewives do not always guess the correct proportions, the ratio of products in the cutlets... These tips will help you prepare a dish in such a way that you won’t be ashamed to serve it even for the holiday table! Subtleties of cooking cutlets that you haven’t thought about before.

I want to tell you right away about a trick that has no equal. You will definitely come back to thank our site in the comments if you try it in practice!

When you cook cutlets next time, take a chance and add a little mustard powder or mustard seeds to the minced meat: only 1 tbsp. l. for all the minced meat. This amount of mustard will be enough to make the cutlets more tender. They will have a pleasant bitterness, and will also turn out incredibly fluffy and juicy... Try it for fun! And check out our detailed recommendations for preparing cutlets: they are really good and have been tested by housewives in practice.

How to cook delicious cutlets
To make the cutlets juicy
Do you know why Soviet cafeteria cutlets were disgustingly tasteless? Because they put too much bread and crackers in them, and they skimped on meat and took it from the tough parts of the carcass. If you want to get delicious cutlets, do not buy ready-made minced meat of dubious origin. You don’t have to buy expensive beef tenderloin, but the back, neck, shoulder, brisket and some parts of the hind leg are ideal.
Before putting the fillet into the meat grinder, do not forget to thoroughly clean it - remove the films, remove cartilage, bones and veins. In addition to beef, chefs recommend using fatty pork - it is this that will give the cutlets juiciness and tenderness.

Standard proportion: for 1 kg of beef - 1/2 kg of pork or for 1 kg of beef - 250 g of lard. However, cutlets can also be made from lamb, veal, chicken, turkey, and game. Choose any degree of grinding, but experts advise not to overdo it and limit yourself to one-time cranking in a meat grinder with a medium-sized grid.

Do I need to add an egg?
Of course it is necessary. The main thing is not to overdo it with eggs and use no more than 2-3 eggs per 1 kg of meat, otherwise the cutlets will turn out tough. The same amount of onion will require approximately 200 g, preferably pre-sautéed and cooled, since raw onions may not have time to fry and will give the cutlets a harsh taste. If you like fresh onions, grind them at the same time as the minced meat in a meat grinder.


Bread is the most important component
Don’t think that bread was included in the recipe out of a desire to save money. Without the crumb, you will end up with a lula kebab, not a juicy meatball. It is the soaked bread that helps make the cutlets softer and more tender.
Naturally, it is important to maintain the correct proportion. It looks like this: for 1 kg of meat - 250 g of white bread and 300-400 g of milk or water (if you are making chicken cutlets, you will need less bread and eggs).

Use yesterday's or slightly dried out loaf. Remove all the crusts from it, cut into pieces and soak in cold milk or water. As soon as the crumb swells, knead it thoroughly with your hands and mix with the rest of the minced meat. Some of the bread can be replaced with grated potatoes, pumpkin or other vegetables.

The resulting minced meat is also well decorated with spices (paprika, black pepper, coriander, chili) and chopped herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro, mint). Don’t forget to salt the future dish, but under no circumstances try it raw (tasting minced meat is the most common cause of poisoning among housewives).

Correct breading
It is advisable to cover the bowl with the prepared minced meat with film and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour so that the bread absorbs the meat juices. Then thoroughly mix the mass again, beating it with your hands and saturating it with air. At the very end, some chefs advise adding a handful of crushed ice to make the dish juicier. After this, wet your hands in cold water and start making cutlets.
If desired, you can cover them with breading - under the golden crust the minced meat will remain juicier. Most experts do not trust store-bought breadcrumbs and recommend making them yourself - to do this, you just need to grind white bread in a blender. Then roll the cutlets in the resulting crumbs and place them in the frying pan. You can also use sesame seeds, small bread sticks, flour and lezon as a breading.

The last one is 3 eggs, lightly beaten with salt and 1-2 tbsp. spoons of milk or water. The cutlets are first rolled in flour, then in lezone and only then covered with bread crumbs.

Frying Features
There is nothing complicated in frying cutlets, the main thing is to place them in a hot frying pan with hot oil (preferably melted butter) so that the minced meat “seizes”, a crust forms and the dish does not fall into pieces.
In addition, keep a distance between the flatbreads: if you place a mountain of cutlets on one vessel, they will quickly release juice and begin to stew rather than fry.

As soon as a golden crust appears, you can reduce the heat and cook under the lid. It’s better not to torment the cutlets by turning them over frequently (it’s advisable to do this a couple of times), but don’t go too far from the frying pan, otherwise you’ll end up with coals instead of a juicy meat dish. However, you can skip frying and stew the flatbreads or steam them.

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Almost every family can boast of its own recipe for juicy, fragrant cutlets. Typically, a signature cooking method is passed down from a grandmother or great-grandmother and is gradually improved by each generation.

The following recipe for classic mixed minced meat cutlets has also been repeatedly improved and modernized by experienced housewives. For the cutlet mass, beef and pork will be used here, but you can experiment with other types of meat - lamb, veal, poultry or game.

We will tell you how to prepare traditional meat cutlets from pork and beef. We will teach you how to make cutlets neat, juicy and appetizing. Few people will refuse this meat dish; everyone’s favorite cutlets can be served with any side dish. Do you know how they attract at night? The whole family is sleeping, you go to the refrigerator, open the saucepan, take out the cutlet, cut off a piece of bread, yummy, it’s very difficult to resist.

Ingredients

• Minced beef – 300 g;
• Minced pork – 300 g;
• Loaf or other white bread – 120 g;
• Milk – 120 ml;
• Chicken egg – 1 pc.;
• Onions – 0.5 pcs.;
• Wheat flour – 4 tbsp;
• Salt – 1 tsp;
• Ground black pepper - to taste;
• Vegetable oil for frying – 70 ml.

Preparation

Grind the bread with a knife or crumble it with your hands. Pour in prepared milk. Leave to soak.

Now let's get to the minced meat. It can be purchased ready-made in the store, but it is much better to chop the meat yourself. Then you will know exactly what the minced meat consists of, which means you won’t have to doubt its quality.

So, to make classic mixed minced meat you will need beef or veal and fatty pork in a 1:1 ratio. They need to be chopped using a meat grinder or food processor.

Peel the onion and chop it very finely. To make this task easier, you can use a blender, food processor, meat grinder or a special vegetable chopper. Add chopped onion to the minced meat.

Break one pre-washed chicken egg there.

Squeeze the softened loaf and transfer it to the minced meat.

Season the ingredients with salt and ground black pepper.

Mix the minced meat thoroughly. To give the minced meat even greater density, it is recommended to beat it. To do this, you need to take the cutlet mass in your hand and forcefully throw it back into the bowl. Repeat this action several times. After this method, the cutlets will keep their shape better.

The meat base for the cutlets is ready.

Wet your palms with cold water. With wet hands, form the minced meat into cutlets of the desired size and roll them in flour or breadcrumbs. Many housewives fry cutlets without breading, but if you are not a very experienced housewife, we recommend using breading first; with it, the cutlets will keep their shape better and will definitely not fall apart.

Pour vegetable oil into the frying pan. As soon as it is warmed up, place the prepared cutlets there. They should be placed fairly close to each other (but not close together). This way they will turn out much juicier.

For frying cutlets, it is best to use a non-stick frying pan. The products will not stick to it and will better retain their shape during the cooking process.

Fry the cutlets, covered, until golden brown over low heat, 3-4 minutes on one side, and then 2-3 minutes on the other side.

The mixed minced meat cutlets are ready, they turned out delicious, golden brown, and very appetizing!

Adviсe:

• To make minced meat, choose pieces of meat that are not too lean. They must contain a sufficient amount of fat layers. Then the minced meat dish will turn out juicy.
• Vegetables will make the cutlets even juicier. Be sure to add onions to their composition. You can also use some carrots, chopped herbs and garlic. These ingredients will add not only juiciness to the dish, but also piquancy.
• If you don't have a loaf, you can use any other baked goods. Pieces of brioche, pan bread, baguette and even bagels will work. Any baked goods will make the cutlet mass denser and more elastic.
• Instead of a loaf, some people use oatmeal; housewives also like to add chopped raw potatoes to the cutlet mass.
• To give the cutlets a crispy crust, you can roll them in flour (as indicated in the recipe), special breadcrumbs, semolina or beaten egg. This technique is called breading. It serves to create an appetizing crust on the product and to preserve all the flavors inside it. Although a properly cooked cutlet will remain juicy and tasty even without any breading.
• If you want to get a dish with a delicious crispy crust, do not cover the pan with a lid during frying. In this case, be sure to cook the cutlets over low heat so that they have time to fry completely.
• Can be made very useful

Have your cutlets turned out dry and tough again, despite all your efforts? No problem! We will reveal the secret of how to fry airy meatballs with a delicious crispy crust, cook them with the most delicate sauce or bake them deliciously in the oven. Recipes with photos will help you make juicy cutlets from mixed minced meat, which you can quickly and easily master at home. Let's get started!

Beef, pork and chicken balls in a frying pan, recipe with photo

In order for the products to be voluminous and have a pleasant aroma, the minced meat should be prepared independently from fresh and high-quality products. It is recommended to take all types of meat in equal proportions, supplement the dish with onions, a loaf soaked in milk and emphasize its taste with fragrant spices.

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Number of servings: 7

Energy value

• calorie content – ​​205 kcal;
• carbohydrates – 8.2 g;
• fats – 10.3 g;
• proteins – 12.6 g.

Ingredients

• pork – 0.2 kg;
• white bread – 90 g;
• milk (2.5%) – 100 ml;
• chicken fillet – 200 g;
• onion – 75 g;
• beef – 0.2 kg;
• wheat flour – 110 g;
• eggs – 2 pcs.;
• small crackers – 120 g;
• table salt – 7-8 g;
• curry – 2 g;
• pepper mixture – 4 g;
• thyme – 3 g;
• turmeric – 2-3 g;
• refined oil – 55 ml;
• mint, cilantro - 6 sprigs.

Step-by-step preparation

1. Peel beef, pork and chicken from films and cartilage, then wash and chop into medium-sized pieces. Grind the prepared meat thoroughly in a food processor.
2. Remove the peel from the onion, wash it, and puree it using a blender.
   
3. Divide the loaf into small pieces, place in a cup with warm milk and leave for 8-10 minutes. When the bread becomes moist and puffs up a little, knead it thoroughly with a fork.
   
4. Rinse the greens with running water, then finely chop.
   
5. Combine all ingredients, beat in one egg, add salt and season with spices. Then stir vigorously with a tablespoon.
6. Cover the finished minced meat with cling film and place in a cool place for half an hour. During this time, the bread will absorb the meat juice, and future cutlets will turn out soft but elastic.
7. Divide the cooled mass into seven equal parts, then turn them into small flat cakes 1.5-2 cm thick. After this, roll the workpieces in wheat flour.
8. Break the second egg into a bowl and mix it vigorously with a whisk until a light foam forms. Place breadcrumbs on a separate plate.
9. Fill the frying pan with vegetable oil, set on fire, and heat well.
10. Dip the products in the egg, then sprinkle with crushed breadcrumbs and place on the frying surface. Cook the cutlets for 6-7 minutes on each side until golden orange.
    

This is interesting: If you add mustard seeds (15 g) to the minced meat, the meat dish will turn out more fluffy, with a pleasant bitter taste. Instead of onions, you can use green onions - it will help the meatballs become juicier.

Place the mixed minced meat cutlets on a large tray, garnish with lettuce leaves, dark olives and place on the table. It is better to eat them hot, with sauerkraut and crumbly buckwheat.

Juicy and very tasty mixed minced meat cutlets in vegetable sauce

Homemade meatballs will turn out very tasty if they are made from lamb and turkey. And to make the dish bright and appetizing, it is recommended to complement it with gravy made from carrots, bell peppers and ripe tomatoes.

Cooking time: 1 hour

Number of servings: 8

Energy value

• calorie content – ​​234 kcal;
• carbohydrates – 8.5 g;
• fats – 11.6 g;
• proteins – 12.7 g.

Ingredients

• lamb tenderloin – 0.25 kg;
• potatoes – 170 g;
• chicken egg – 1 pc.;
• turkey meat – 250 g;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• carrots – 80 g;
• bell pepper (yellow) – 50 g;
• tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• bran bread – 100 g;
• garlic – 1 clove;
• corn flour – 110 g;
• sea ​​salt – 8 g;
• paprika – 3 g;
• chili pepper (ground) – 1 g;
• hops-suneli – 2 g;
• saffron – 3 g;
• vegetable oil – 65 ml;
• basil (for serving) – 4-5 sprigs.

Step-by-step preparation

1. Wash the lamb and turkey, dry with napkins, cut into arbitrary pieces. Then place them in a meat grinder and turn them into minced meat.
2. Peel the potatoes, rinse with water, and chop on a grater with medium holes. Then mix with meat.
   
3. Remove the top layer from the bulbs and wash well. Chop one of them into very small squares and also add to the minced meat.
   
4. Crumble the bread into a plate, add clean water and let stand for 6-7 minutes. Mix the soaked product until a viscous substance is obtained, then add it to the cutlet mass.
   
5. Add the minced meat, add the egg, add paprika and knead vigorously with hands moistened with water. Then form it into small oval cutlets and process them in corn flour.
6. Place the meatballs in a frying pan with hot oil and fry for five minutes on all sides, then set aside.
   
7. To make the gravy, you need to cut the remaining onion into rings, place in a separate saucepan and sauté until translucent. Then peel the carrots and pass them through a coarse grater. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper, wash it, and chop it into thin strips. Crush the garlic clove with a press. Combine vegetables with onions and, stirring regularly, simmer for 7 minutes.
   
8. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, peel them, divide them into small cubes and add to the rest of the products. Then pour water (320 ml) into a saucepan, add salt, season with seasonings and simmer over low heat for 5-6 minutes.
9. Pour the boiled sauce over the cutlets and simmer under the lid at low simmer for a quarter of an hour.

Advice: The color of the gravy will become richer if you add a tablespoon of ketchup or homemade adjika to it. Starch (15 g) will help make the sauce thicker, which must be dissolved in water (80 ml) and poured into a bowl with vegetables.

Sprinkle the appetizing little balls with finely chopped basil, then distribute among plates and serve to everyone present. It is better to combine them with pickled mushrooms and mashed potatoes.

How to bake cutlets on a sheet in the oven: a very tasty recipe with photos

Delight your family and friends with a luxurious meat delicacy baked in the oven under a layer of foil. Such cutlets are considered lighter and healthier because they are cooked in their own juice without the use of oil.

Cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Number of servings: 9

Energy value

• calorie content – ​​178 kcal;
• carbohydrates – 6.3 g;
• fats – 4.8 g;
• proteins – 11.7 g.

Ingredients

• veal – 0.45 kg;
• pork pulp – 0.3 kg;
• pumpkin – 170 g;
• leek (medium) – 1 pc.;
• eggs – 2 pcs.;
• flour – 90 g;
• coarse salt - to taste;
• coriander – 3 g;
• cumin – 2 g;
• black pepper – 4 g;
• marjoram – 2-3 g.

Step-by-step preparation

1. Wash pork and veal, wipe with a clean cloth, cut into small cubes. Place meat in a food processor and grind.
   
2. Rinse the leeks with water, chop them into small rings, and combine with the minced meat.
   
3. Cut the skin off the pumpkin, then wash it and divide it into 6-7 parts. Grind the vegetable pieces using a blender and add to the meat mixture.
   
4. Salt the minced meat and add seasonings. Then pour flour into it, beat in the eggs and knead well with damp palms, carefully mixing all the ingredients.
   
5. Form round products with a diameter of about 8 cm from the cutlet mixture.
6. Cover a baking sheet with foil, place the meatballs on it and cover them on top with a layer of shiny paper.
   
7. Place the cutlets in a hot oven and bake for 25 minutes at 190 degrees. Then remove the improvised lid and cook for another quarter of an hour until golden brown.

Important: meat for cutlets should not be lean, otherwise during cooking they will not be able to release enough juice and will be dry. If the minced meat is low-fat, put a small piece of butter inside each meatball - it will make the dish soft and tender.

Mixed minced meat cutlets baked in the oven are ready. It is advisable to serve the treat in portions, with garlic sauce, crusty bread and vegetable salad. Bon appetit!

Making meatballs is not at all difficult - you just need a little free time, a minimum of effort and a great desire to please your loved ones with a delicious delicacy. And if you follow our recommendations, you can be sure that your cutlets will turn out juicy and flavorful!

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The word “cutlet” came into Russian from French; la côtelette is a piece of meat on a rib. So in ancient times it was much more convenient to eat it with your hands. With the advent of cutlery, the need for bones disappeared. Pieces of meat were removed from them. And the cutlet began to change. They began beating the meat to make it softer and breading it to maintain its juiciness. This process took place throughout Europe. Today, only the Kiev cutlet, which is often made with a bone, reminds us of the old days.

Over time, the cutlets became chopped, as this made them much easier to chew. And with the advent of meat grinders, they turned into a fairly easy-to-prepare dish. These are the ones we will prepare.

Meat selection

For cutlets, you can use a piece of brisket or shoulder; chopped goulash is also suitable. But keep in mind that market traders may sell you bad meat. Therefore, when purchasing, you should ask to see the piece from all sides.

Cutlets are best made from chilled meat, not frozen.

The most delicious cutlets are made with the addition of fatty meat - pork or even lard.

Meat for cutlets should not be lean, take it with fat - then the cutlets will be juicy.

It’s good to make cutlets from two or even three types of meat. You can combine beef and pork, you can add poultry to them.

Ground meat

The meat needs to be turned twice, but if it seems that the minced meat has not yet become tender, then three times.

Be sure to add onions to the minced meat. It is rolled together with the meat or chopped very finely. Onions cut into slices should be placed in a meat grinder between pieces of meat.

It is advisable to prepare cutlets only from freshly prepared minced meat. If you do make minced meat in advance, do not put bread in it, do not add salt or spices.

The minced meat must be kneaded by hand. You can even beat it with your palms - this way it will turn out tender and soft.

You need to knead the minced meat for a long time, you can beat it with your palms, throw it from one hand to another, or hit it on the table. All so that the meat mass is saturated with oxygen and becomes more viscous and homogeneous.

A couple of tablespoons of ice water added during kneading will add juiciness to the minced meat. You can also add a spoonful of vegetable oil.

A cube of cold butter added at the end of kneading will make the cutlets juicy and more airy.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Bread

To prevent the cutlets from falling apart, add bread to them.

Dried bread needs to be soaked; fresh bread does not release the amount of gluten needed to “glue” the minced meat together.

Reduce calories

Instead of bread, you can add finely grated zucchini to the minced meat. It will give the cutlets juiciness, but its taste will be almost noticeable.

You can also add grated carrots, pumpkin, beets to the cutlets - all these vegetables will add juiciness to them.

Instead of bread, you can mix stiffly beaten egg white into the minced meat. It will connect the minced meat and prevent the cutlets from falling apart. But perhaps it will make them a little tougher.

Modeling

It is best to cool the minced meat for half an hour before modeling.

To make it easier to divide the minced meat into portions, you need to wet your hands with water.

Try to make cutlets of the same size.

When making a cutlet, pat it with your palms and try to make it uniform, without seams. This way she won't release her juice.

Breading

You can coat the cutlets:

In regular flour

In breadcrumbs (both white and rye)

In crushed nuts

In ground sesame

Frying

Place the cutlets on a hot, but not overheated frying pan. It is desirable that it has a thick bottom.

The cutlet is fried over high heat for 1-2 minutes on one side, then the heat needs to be reduced and simmered on the same side for another 3-4 minutes. And then turn it over and repeat the process.

When frying, cutlets need to be turned over minimally. Then their crust will not collapse and their juiciness will not disappear.

You can bring the cutlets to readiness in the oven or under a tight lid over low heat. This will take 7-10 minutes.

The sauce is poured after the cutlets are fried and covered with a lid. You can simply use sour cream, or you can prepare something more complex.

Do not add water to the sour cream to make more sauce, this will spoil the cutlets and kill their own juice.

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How to determine readiness

The cutlet needs to be pierced; if the juice comes out clear, it is ready.

If you fried the cutlet for about 20 minutes, of which 5-7 minutes under the lid, then this is enough for it to be ready.

If you want to get confused

Cutlets are best made from minced meat. Only then you will need to knead the minced meat better so that it does not fall apart.

Basic cutlet recipe

600 g beef goulash

400 g pork goulash

2 medium onions

1/4 white loaf

1 glass of water

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp. l. flour

1 cup sour cream

Step 1. Cut the loaf into large pieces and add water.

Step 2. Rinse the meat, peel the onion and cut into 4 parts. Grind the meat and onions through a fine grinder.

Step 3. Turn it a second time. Salt and pepper. Mix well and knead the minced meat a little, like dough.

Step 4. Divide the minced meat into 3-4 parts and beat each with your palms for at least a minute.

Step 5. Remove the crust from the loaf, squeeze out the bread and add to the minced meat.

Tip: If the minced meat seems a little dry, you can add a little milk, or water and vegetable oil.

Step 6. Form cutlets. Roll them in flour.

Tip: During the sculpting process, you can beat the cutlets a little more with your palms, patting them.

Step 7. Heat a frying pan with oil. Place the cutlets and fry over high heat for half a minute (until a crust forms).

Step 8. Reduce heat and fry over low heat for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 9. Turn the cutlets over and fry first over high heat and then over low heat as described in steps 7 and 8.

Step 10. Leave the pan on low heat, close the lid and leave the cutlets to fry for about 7-15 minutes (depending on the size of the cutlets).

Tip: At this stage, you can pour sour cream over the cutlets to create a sauce. Just do not add water under any circumstances, otherwise the cutlets will turn into a rag.

Step 11. Remove from heat, pour in sour cream, sprinkle with herbs, serve hot.