Chopped meat patties – Zrazim

Chopped Meat Patties (better known in our family as ZRAZIM – in Polish – and Ktsitsot – in Hebrew)

“Zrazim” – how many jokes have been made at our family meals and picnics about these tasty little meat patties.

We loved eating Savta’s “zrazim” whenever we came to Tel Aviv.

At the same time, we were sometimes exasperated, when Saba and Savta used to come to our many family picnics in the Jerusalem Forest, with a box of cold “zrazim” – which they would put on thick slices of Challah. No ketchup, no sliced tomato (in Krakow they didn’t eat tomatoes!)…..

We would grill our hamburgers (which, through the years they learned to really love) – but even that they ate without the “obligatory” ketchup, tomatoes, onions. And if they did finally eat the grilled hamburgers that the Galai guys prepared on the grill, it was always on slices of challah that they brought with them – never on our “American style” hamburger rolls! How many smiles and laughs we had at these picnics.

Now, I guess it’s the turn of the younger generation to laugh and smile at OUR funny eating habits….

Anyway, back to ZRAZIM; we love them, and eating them always brings a smile to our faces as we remember the good ol’ days with Saba and Savta in Tel Aviv.

Savta often made them using chopped “Shwarma” turkey meat, combined with chopped beef. You can also make them only with chopped beef.

Ingredients

For meat patties:

• 1/2 kilo (1 pound) chopped “Shwarma” turkey meat, or chopped beef.
• 1 onion grated in food processor or on hand grater
• 1 peeled potato, finely grated either in food processor or on hand grater
• 2 eggs
• breadcrumbs – as much as needed to get it to the consistency that you need in order to make little patties
• salt
• pepper

For coating the patties before frying:

• flour
• breadcrumbs

For cooking sauce:

• one large onion chopped
• canola oil
• water
• salt
• pepper
• a teaspoon chicken soup powder
• sprinkle of red paprika

Preparation:

For fried onions which go into the sauce:

1. Chop large onion and fry in canola oil in frying pan. Remove from pan and set aside until you have finished making the patties.

For meat patties (Zrazim)

1. Peel onion, and grate in food processor or on hand grater
2. In bowl put chopped meat. Add the grated onion and grated potato, 2 eggs, salt, pepper, paprika, and chicken soup powder. Mix.
3. Add enough bread crumbs to make the mixture a consistency that will enable you to make small patties.
4. On a plate, put a mixture of some breadcrumbs and flour.
5. Start forming the meat patties, and dip each one on both sides in the flour-breadcrumb mixture.
6. When you finish forming all the patties, heat canola oil in large frying pan, and carefully transfer all the patties (or as many as fit in the pan), and fry them on both sides till nicely browned.
7. Return the onions that you previously fried, onto the fried meat patties.
8. Add warm water, salt, pepper, paprika and a teaspoon of chicken soup powder.
9. Bring to a soft boil – taste and adjust seasoning.
10. Lower the flame, and cook for about 35-40 minutes till some of the sauce is absorbed, and the patties are ready.