Homemade Ground Pork Patties

The patty mixture

1. For ground pork patties it’s best to use shoulder or leg: this meat isn’t too fatty and doesn’t have much membrane or connective tissue. Stores often sell pork cut up for goulash, which is very well suited to patties. To make the dish fragrant, add a small raw onion and garlic to the ground meat. For a bit of heat, I add a seeded chili pepper or 1–2 pinches of dried ground chili.

2. Rinse the pork and remove any bone fragments.

   

   Grind the pork in a meat grinder. People often advise grinding it two or three times. I like my patties made from fairly coarse mince. When I have the time and the inclination, I chop the meat by hand with a knife, the way it’s often done in Georgia for khinkali.

3. Add one egg to the ground pork, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and add ½ tsp ground coriander and dried savory. Savory is one of the main meat seasonings in the Balkans; kebapche is unthinkable without it. I recommend at least ½ tsp of savory, crushed between your fingers. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the chili pepper. Finely chop the chili and the peeled garlic and add them to the mixture. Grate the peeled onion or put it through the meat grinder and add it to the mixture.

   

   Mix the ground meat thoroughly.

   To make the pork patties extra tasty, you can add a little milk or cream. Usually, stale white bread soaked in milk goes into the mixture. But honestly, I can’t always “guess” the right consistency that way. So I do it a bit differently.

4. Add 2–3 tbsp milk to the mixture and mix well. Gradually add “galeta,” stale bread (usually a baguette) grated and sifted into crumbs. As soon as the mixture is soft and doesn’t stick to your hands, it’s ready.

   

5. Put the finished mixture in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap or a plate. 30 minutes is enough for the salt to dissolve and the spices to permeate the mixture. During this time the breadcrumbs also soak up moisture and blend with the pork into a smooth mass.

   

Shaping the patties

1. With wet hands, shape the ground pork into oval patties. This amount of mixture makes 10–12 patties. Don’t make them too big, or they may not cook through. It’s also worth flattening them slightly, pressing with the blade of a chef’s knife or a spatula.

   

3. Put breadcrumbs in a bowl or, even better, the same grated bread you added to the mixture. Coat the patties thoroughly and generously, turning them with your fingers: the breading sticks well to the moist meat, and the excess simply falls off. Place the breaded patties on a dry plate.

Frying

1. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan. Heat the oil well and let it heat for a few minutes so any off smell disappears. Turn the heat down to medium and put the patties in the pan.

   

2. Fry the patties until they have a nice golden crust, then flip them and brown the other side.

   

3. Turn the heat almost to the lowest setting and cover the pan. The crust keeps the patties from falling apart, a common problem, and seals all the meat juices inside. Covered, the patties will be done in 15–20 minutes. Turn them 2–3 times while they cook. The inside cooks in its own steam, so the patties stay very juicy.

   If you want a crispy crust in the end, take the lid off at the very end and turn up the heat: in 4–5 minutes the crust will crisp up.

Serving

1. If you like, you can make mashed potatoes as a side. Better yet, some vegetable salad, such as shopska salad, or tomato salad when they’re in season. Pork patties go great with a good ketchup or, if you like it spicy, with tomato sauce and adjika.

   

   Freshly made patties are usually served for lunch or dinner. Depending on their size, 2–3 patties per serving with a side of potatoes or vegetables is enough. You can arrange the patties on a plate, add the side or salad and pour the sauce on top. Or put the patties on a large platter, pour the sauce into a small bowl and the salad into a little salad bowl you can set right on the platter.