Pleskavica classic

Pleskavica is a dish of Balkan cuisine; it can be found everywhere in bars and restaurants in Montenegro and Croatia. In essence, it is a very thin cutlet made from pure minced meat. However, you can always supplement the meat with herbs, spices, onions, garlic or, for example, cheese. You can cook the dish on the stove or open flame. In the article you will find 5 proven and very tasty ways to prepare pljeskavica.

Pleskavica - a classic recipe at home

Pljeskavica is a classic homemade recipe that deserves to be in a cookbook. This dish is loved by meat eaters and is widely used in street fast food. Most often, cutlets are cooked on a grill, but in a kitchen a regular frying pan will do.

1. 
   The classic pljeskavica recipe involves using minced pork and beef in equal proportions.
2. 
   Add water and salt to the minced meat in a bowl, knead the mixture with your hands for 7-10 minutes. After this, cover the bowl with the minced meat with cling film and put it in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
3. 
   Immediately before frying, add chopped onions, both types of ground pepper, coriander to the minced meat and squeeze a clove of garlic through a press.
4. 
   Grease the cutting board with vegetable oil so that the minced meat does not stick. Divide the entire mass into 2-3 equal parts. Then form flat cutlets with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters and a thickness of 1.2-1.5 centimeters on the board.
5. 
   Heat the grill pan well and grease its surface with vegetable oil.
6. 
   Using a wide knife, remove the cutlet from the board and transfer to the grill.
7. 
   Fry pljeskavica for one minute over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes. Turn it over and fry the other side in the same order.
8. 
   Serve pljeskavica hot with fresh vegetables and herbs. Bon appetit!

Pleskavica in Serbian

Pljeskavica in Serbian style is a meat dish that is prepared using a certain technology. In essence, it is a cutlet, but it does not contain bread. The dish turns out very juicy and tender, it can be served for lunch or dinner with any side dishes to your taste.

Cooking time – 25 min.

Cooking time – 25 min.

Portions – 1.

Ingredients:

• Beef – 100 gr.
• Lard – 50 gr.
• Pork – 100 gr.
• Table salt – ½ tsp.
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp.
• Ground black pepper – ½ tsp.
• Onions – 1 pc.
• Garlic – 1 tooth.
• Chili pepper - to taste.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Wash the meat and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the meat and lard into large pieces. Scroll these pieces through a meat grinder.

Step 2. Cut the onion and chili into very small pieces.

Step 3. Grind the garlic using a press, mix the resulting mass with salt.

Step 4.Add chopped onion, pepper and garlic to the minced meat, add salt and season to taste, and also pour in half a tablespoon of oil.

Step 5. Knead the minced meat thoroughly with your hands. Cover the board with cling film and form round cakes on it, 1 centimeter thick. Season the meat with a little more salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.

Step 6. Place the workpiece on the hot surface of the grill pan. Fry pljeskavica for 7 minutes on each side. Serve the cutlet hot with sauces or side dishes to taste. Bon appetit!

Pljeskavica with cheese and bacon

Pljeskavica with cheese and bacon is a Serbian dish widespread throughout the world. This version of this large cutlet is also called gourmet. Cheese and bacon will add even more juiciness to the minced meat and make the taste bright and rich. It is especially delicious to serve gourmet pljeskavica with baked potatoes.

Cooking time – 25 min.

Cooking time – 25 min.

Portions – 4.

Ingredients:

• Minced pork and beef – 1 kg.
• Smoked cheese – 50 gr.
• Hard cheese – 50 gr.
• Table salt - to taste.
• Spices - to taste.
• Hot chilli pepper – 2 pcs.
• Onions – 1 pc.
• Garlic – 2 teeth.
• Paprika – 2 tsp.
• Olive oil - to taste.
• Smoked bacon – 100 gr.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Chop the peeled onion and garlic, chili peppers and bacon very finely. Also prepare all other ingredients.

Step 2. Grate both types of cheese on a coarse grater.

Step 3. Mix minced meat, bacon, onion, garlic, pepper, cheese in a large bowl. Salt the resulting mass and season with spices. Cover the bowl with minced meat with cling film and put it in the refrigerator for several hours.

Step 4. After this, form the minced meat into flat cakes 1 centimeter thick.

Step 5.Fry pljeskavica in a preheated frying pan with vegetable oil for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Step 6. Serve pljeskavica with bacon and cheese with a crispy crust hot with a side dish of vegetables and potatoes. Bon appetit!

Turkey pljeskavica

Turkey pljeskavica is a large and very tasty cutlet. Since the minced meat contains neither bread nor eggs, it must be properly kneaded and beaten. Also, the mass is kept in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours before frying. All this makes pljeskavica so juicy and tasty.

Cooking time – 12 hours

Cooking time - 30 min.

Portions – 2.

Ingredients:

• Minced turkey – 0.4 kg.
• Large onion – 1 pc.
• Sparkling water – 100 ml.
• Ground sweet paprika – 1.5 tsp.
• Dried Italian herbs – 1 tsp.
• Ground black pepper – 0.5 tsp.
• Ground red pepper – 0.3 tsp.
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp.

For the sauce:

• Mint – 1 branch.
• Honeysuckle – 500 gr.
• Dill - to taste.
• Parsley - to taste.
• Cilantro - to taste.
• Khmeli-suneli – 1 tsp.
• Chili pepper – 0.5 pcs.
• Garlic – 3 teeth.
• Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp.
• Table salt – 1 tsp.
• Sugar – 3 tbsp.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Place the ground turkey in a bowl, add the spices and knead thoroughly.

Step 2. Pour 100 milliliters of mineral water and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into the homogeneous meat mass over several approaches. Knead the minced meat and make sure that it does not become too liquid. Place the finished minced meat in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Step 3. Peel a large onion and chop it finely.

Step 4. Add onions to the minced meat and mix everything well again. Next, form round flat cutlets from the meat mass.

Step 5.Fry the cutlets in a grill pan until golden brown on both sides.

Step 6. To serve pljeskavica, prepare hot sauce. Grind honeysuckle, garlic and all fresh herbs with an immersion blender. Add spices, salt and sugar to the resulting mass. Place the sauce on the fire, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Finally add apple cider vinegar.

Step 7. Serve turkey pljeskavica with sauce and vegetables. Bon appetit!

Pleskavica with kaymak

Pljeskavica with kajmak is served mainly in Balkan countries. The dish turns out especially tasty when cooked over coals. It differs from the traditional cutlet in size and shape. The minced meat is also thoroughly marinated in the refrigerator for several hours. And the finished cutlets are poured with heated kaymak.

Cooking time - 15 minutes.

Cooking time - 15 minutes.

Portions – 4.

Ingredients:

• Minced pork – 0.7 kg.
• Minced beef – 0.3 kg.
• Garlic – 3 teeth.
• Onions – 100 gr.
• Table salt - to taste.
• Ground black pepper – 1 tsp.
• Odorless vegetable oil – 100 ml.
• Hot pepper/paprika - to taste.
• Kaymak – 200 ml.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Peel the onions and garlic. Chop these ingredients with a knife or use a food processor.

Step 2. In a large bowl, mix both types of minced meat, onion and garlic. Salt the mixture and season with pepper, pour in vegetable oil. Knead the minced meat with your hands for 10 minutes. The minced meat should stop sticking to your hands.

Step 3. To fry pljeskavica, light the coals in the grill or heat a frying pan on the stove. The cutlets will need to be properly fried. Form the minced meat into four flat round cutlets approximately 1 cm thick.

Step 4.Place the meat pieces on a heated surface, fry the cutlets on both sides over medium heat until an appetizing golden brown crust.

Step 5. Transfer the fried pljeskavica to a plate and place about 50 milliliters of kajmak on top. You can also supplement the dish with potatoes, fresh vegetables or herbs. Bon appetit!