Fasírt – this magical word can make any Hungarian heart throb. It’s the king of canteens and everyday kitchens, an indispensable attendant of vegetable stews in the Hungarian cuisine. Fasírt means both meat loaf and patties in Hungarian, it can be breaded or not, fried in oil or roasted in the oven – everyone treasures a unique recipe.

In my family pork patties consist of minced meat, egg and milk soaked bread (or zsemle), and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and parsley. The balls are rolled in breadcrumbs and fried in oil or lard until golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 500 g (~1 lb) minced pork
• 1 egg
• 1 thin slice of white bread
• 50 ml (~3-4 tbsp) milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sweet ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• small bunch of parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• oil or lard for frying

Soak bread in milk.

Place the minced pork in a bowl. Add egg, bread (squeezed out) and crushed garlic. Season with salt, pepper and paprika, lastly, add finely chopped parsley. Mix until well combined.

Form tiny balls with your hands and roll them into breadcrumbs.

In a frying pan heat up oil or lard and slowly fry patties in batches on both sides until golden brown.