Pozharskiye Kotlety

L

egend has it that Tsar Alexander I stopped at Pozharsky’s tavern, whose praises had been sung by Pushkin, to try the chef’s famous kotlety. The Emperor ordered veal cutlets, but Pozharsky was out of veal, so substituted chicken. Far from being upset at the substitution, the Tsar so liked this dish that he placed it on the Royal Menu.

Today, Pozharskiye Kotlety is a signature entrée at San Francisco’s Katia’s: A Russian Tea Room, a modern way station for that city’s Russian expatriate community (see page 56) and other lovers of Russian cuisine. At Katia’s the dish is teamed with fried cubed potatoes and a vegetable of the day, with a choice of either hot Russian mustard or mushroom sauce on the side.

According to owner Katia Troosh, “the beauty of this recipe is that it can be adjusted to the needs of those that are more health conscious or have dietary restrictions. The egg, the cream/milk and the butter can be eliminated. Non-fat milk can be substituted as the liquid required. They can be fried carefully in very little oil (or Canola oil) and then finished by baking in the oven over a grill, so that virtually any extra fat from the frying is removed. I have never prepared them this way, but I assume once you bread them they can also be baked in the oven, not fried at all. These methods of preparation will not yield quite as juicy a cutlet, but I’m sure a good mushroom sauce will make up for that.”

DIRECTIONS

Cut chicken breast into pieces and grind in food processor or meat grinder. Do not overprocess. Combine in a large bowl the bread, squeezed of excess liquid, the egg yolk, cream, salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley. Whisk all ingredients together with a fork, then add the ground chicken and mix gently until well combined. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit of cream to soften. If too moist, refrigerate till easy to handle.

Divide the meat mixture into eight equal parts. Into the center of each, place a piece of the cold butter. Moisten hands and gently shape the meat into ovals (your kotlety, or cutlets), working the pat of butter into the center of each. Roll the kotlety in the bread crumbs, maintaining a rounded oval shape. 

Heat oil in a 9”-10” frying pan (use just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Do not crowd the kotlety, frying 4 or 5 at time over a medium flame, turning frequently to ensure an even, golden crust. When fried properly, the cutlets should puff up gently as the butter inside melts. Serve with crunchy fried potatoes or mashed potatoes and your favorite seasonal vegetables. Serve with hot Russian mustard and/or  a mushroom sauce.

ingredients

1 lb. skinless, boneless Chicken breast

2 slices white bread, crusts removed, soaked in water

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp milk or cream

1 tsp salt

1⁄4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely minced or put through garlic press

1 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

1⁄2 cube (2 ozs) unsalted butter, cut into eight pieces, and kept cold

About one cup dry, white bread crumbs

Oil for frying