Veal Pojarski

Directions

1. Heat a nonstick sauté pan over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the chopped onion. Sprinkle with some kosher salt, and stir to coat the onion with the oil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent (15 to 20 minutes). Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, trim the crusts off the sandwich bread. Place it in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and pulse until the bread has been transformed into uniformly coarse breadcrumbs. Reserve.
3. Place the ground meat in a medium mixing bowl. Add the cooked onion, grated cheese, egg, and 2/3 cup of the fresh breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until the mixture is well blended.
4. Put the remainder of the breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl or pie dish.
5. Take a rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture and form it into a little patty. Coat it on both sides with the breadcrumbs. Heat a nonstick pan over a medium-high heat. Add a small amount of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the patty and fry it on both sides, until the coating is deep brown in color and the patty springs back when poked with your index finger. Taste the patty. Add more salt and pepper to the meat mixture if necessary, and mix once more to distribute the seasoning throughout.
6. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
7. Make 4 or 5 generous patties about 1 inch thick. I like to make these in an oval shape. Coat the patties with the fresh breadcrumbs.
8. Heat a large nonstick pan over a medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the patties. Brown on both sides. Then place the pan in the oven to finish cooking the meat to the desired doneness, 5 to 10 minutes.
9. Serve immediately with a tossed green salad or some sautéed greens.
10. Note: If you like, you can make these with ground turkey instead of veal. They’re just as good. Don’t buy the leanest ground turkey available—you need some fat or the patties will be dry. Also, you should increase the cooking time in the oven to about 15 minutes to ensure that the turkey is fully cooked.