Kruchenyky

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgbeef topside or pork loin
• cut into thin slices
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 2 tablespoonsmustard, optional

Mushroom filling

• 400 gmushrooms, chopped
• 30 gdried porcini, soaked
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoonsbutter
• a handful of dill, chopped
• salt and black pepper

Bacon filling

• 200 gsmoked bacon, chopped
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• a handful of parsley

The braise

• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 2onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoonsplain flour
• 600 mlbeef stock
• 200 mlsoured cream
• 2bay leaves
• black pepper

To serve

• mashed potato
• buckwheat
• chopped dill
• pickled vegetables

Directions

1. Put the slice between two sheets of film. Beat from the centre outwards. Use the flat side of the mallet. Use the flat side of it throughout. Never throw the soaking water away.
2. Strain it to leave the grit behind. It must not boil after it goes in. Trim the beef of any visible sinew. Cut it across the grain into slices. Aim for about one centimetre to start. Lay a slice between two sheets of film. Beat it out from the centre outwards.
3. Work it down to three or four millimetres. Keep the thickness even across it. Repeat that with all of the slices. Film stops the meat tearing as you beat.
4. Season each slice with salt and pepper. Spread a little mustard on if you like. Soak the dried porcini in hot water. Give them about thirty minutes. Lift them out and squeeze them. Chop the soaked mushrooms finely. Strain the soaking water through cloth.
5. Melt the butter in a wide pan. Add the chopped onions to the pan. Cook them for a good eight minutes. Add all the chopped mushrooms. Fry them hard over a high heat.
6. Add a little of the soaking liquid. Let it cook right away entirely. The filling must end up quite dry. Add the chopped dill and season it. Let it cool completely before filling. Fry the chopped bacon in a dry pan. Let all of its fat render out slowly. Add the chopped onions to the pan.
7. Cook them until soft and golden. Add the garlic and the parsley. Let it cool completely before filling. Lay a beaten slice on a board. Put a line of filling near one edge. Leave a clear border at the sides.
8. Fold the sides in over the filling. That stops the filling escaping. Tie each roll with kitchen string. Remove them all before you serve it. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the rolls to the pot in batches. Brown them well on all of their sides. Do not crowd the pot at any point.
9. Set each batch aside as it browns. Pale meat gives a thin flat result. Take the time to do it properly. Add the sliced onions to the same pot. Cook them for a good ten minutes. Never wash the pot at this stage. Sprinkle the flour over the onions.
10. Stir it in and cook it for two minutes. Adding the stock in takes real care. Add the stock a ladle at a time. Stir hard after each addition. Let it come together before adding more. A little at a time keeps it smooth. Keep going until all the stock is in. Return all the rolls to the pot. Add the bay leaves and black pepper. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat.
11. Let it cook for about an hour. Judging the meat takes a check. Cook it on if it still resists. Take a ladle of the hot sauce. Stir it into the soured cream first. Cold cream added to a hot pot splits. Let it warm through for five minutes. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed.
12. Lift each roll out very carefully. Cut and pull the string right away. Check that every one is removed. Serving them is always done hot. Set two rolls out on each plate. Spoon the sauce over them generously. Serve mashed potato alongside. Scatter chopped dill over the top. Put pickled vegetables on the table. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• The slices are beaten thin with the flat side of a mallet, which both flattens them for rolling and tenderises them by breaking the muscle fibres and connective tissue; that is why cheap lean cuts work. The toothed side tears the meat apart and torn meat will not hold a filling.
• The filling must end up genuinely dry, since a wet one leaks out during braising and stops the roll holding together; fry the mushrooms hard over high heat so their water evaporates and they brown rather than stew.
• Soured cream goes in at the end and must be tempered with a ladle of hot sauce before it joins the pot, and the pot must not boil afterwards, or it splits into curds and liquid.

Substitutions

• Pork loin works as well as beef and cooks a little faster.
• Bacon and onion is the other standard filling alongside mushroom.

Variations

• Some cooks combine mushroom and bacon in the same filling.
• A little mustard spread on the meat adds sharpness under the filling.
• It is served with mashed potato or with buckwheat.

History

Thin beaten meat rolled around a filling and stewed; kruchenyky means twists, and the dish is a Ukrainian restaurant standard.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kruchenyky?

Kruchenyky is a main from Ukraine: beef or pork rolled around mushrooms or bacon and braised. Thin beaten meat rolled around a filling and stewed; kruchenyky means twists, and the dish is a Ukrainian restaurant standard.

How long does Kruchenyky take to make?

Kruchenyky takes 45 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kruchenyky?

Yes, within limits. Pork loin works as well as beef and cooks a little faster. Bacon and onion is the other standard filling alongside mushroom.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kruchenyky?

Put the slice between two sheets of film. Beat from the centre outwards. Use the flat side of the mallet. Use the flat side of it throughout. Never throw the soaking water away.