Ingredients
Meat
- 4veal or pork escalopes, about 200 g each
- salt
- black pepper
Filling
- 200 gkajmak
- 100 gsmoked ham, thinly sliced, optional
Coating
- 100 gplain flour
- 3eggs, beaten
- 200 gdried breadcrumbs
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- tartare sauce
- lemon wedges
- chips
Directions
- Butterfly each escalope and beat it out between sheets of film until it is very thin and roughly rectangular.
- Beat it thin and beat it evenly. Thin spots tear and thick ones stay raw inside while the crumb burns.
- Season the meat on both sides.
- Spread a thick line of kajmak down the centre of each, leaving a clear margin all the way round.
- Leave the margin. Kajmak melts to liquid in the fryer and any that reaches the edge escapes and takes the coating with it.
- Lay ham over the kajmak if you are using it.
- Roll the escalope up tightly from one long side, then fold the ends in and press them closed.
- Roll it tight with no air pockets, and make sure the ends are properly tucked and sealed.
- Chill the rolls for at least an hour, which firms both the meat and the kajmak.
- Chilling is not optional. A warm roll unrolls in the oil and the filling runs out in seconds.
- Roll each in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
- Now do the egg and breadcrumb a second time.
- Double-coat it. There is molten cheese inside under pressure and a single crumb layer will not hold it.
- Chill the coated rolls for another 20 minutes.
- Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F) and fry them for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over.
- Moderate heat throughout, because they are thick and need the time to cook through to the centre.
- Drain and rest them 5 minutes before cutting, so the kajmak settles rather than pouring out.
- Serve whole or cut across on the diagonal so the spiral shows, with tartare sauce and chips.
- It was created in Belgrade in the 1950s and named after Karađorđe, the leader of the First Serbian Uprising.
Technique
- Kajmak is the Balkan clotted cream cheese and it is what makes the dish; cream cheese is a poor stand-in.
- It is often nicknamed the maiden’s dream, for reasons the shape makes obvious.
- It is very large and one is a full meal.
Substitutions
- Cream cheese beaten with butter in place of kajmak.
- Chicken breast, butterflied, which cooks faster.
Variations
- With mushrooms in the filling.
- Baked rather than deep-fried, which is lighter and less good.
- With prosciutto instead of smoked ham.
History
Created in Belgrade in the 1950s by the chef Milovan Stojanović, improvising a Kiev-style rolled cutlet, and named after the leader Karađorđe.
Frequently asked questions
What is Karađorđeva šnicla?
Karađorđeva šnicla is a main from Serbia: breaded rolled veal or pork steak stuffed with kajmak. Created in Belgrade in the 1950s by the chef Milovan Stojanović, improvising a Kiev-style rolled cutlet, and named after the leader Karađorđe.
How long does Karađorđeva šnicla take to make?
Karađorđeva šnicla takes 40 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Karađorđeva šnicla?
Yes, within limits. Cream cheese beaten with butter in place of kajmak. Chicken breast, butterflied, which cooks faster.
What is the most important thing to get right in Karađorđeva šnicla?
Chilling is not optional. A warm roll unrolls in the oil and the filling runs out in seconds.
