KNOWING THE CACHOPE: THE STAR PEAP OF ASTURIAL GASTRONOMY

Today in delights that do well to the soul , let's talk about the Classic Asturian Cachopo , a traditional recipe of Asturias , which adapts to anyone's taste and today is already a successful dish internationally.

If you had not heard this dish before or knew it but you did not encourage you to prepare it, then this is your time to get all the doubts! The Cachopo is one of the most representative recipes of Asturian cuisine and for the world is considered a culinary specialty of the region.

That is why today we want to share with you all the secrets and tricks behind this preparation. Because it is always good to encourage you to try new things. Then they tell me what they thought.

About the hill

As we already anticipate, the cachopo is a typical dish of Asturian gastronomy, Spain .

Its preparation is quite simple, it consists of putting two meat fillets, one above the other and in the middle they “fill” with ham and cheese, and then make them a pie with flour, egg and breadcrumbs .

The last point of this recipe is key and fundamental in preparation, is that it is cooked in hot oil (for more pleasure) . They are fried in hot oil until golden and cooked inside. Then you just have to enjoy Asturian magic.

It can be clarified: it is a rather caloric but very tasty dish.

The filling can vary according to the recipe and the place where it is served, but usually includes ham or serrano ham and Asturian cheese or similar. Some recipes may include other ingredients such as mushrooms, onion, peppers, etc. 

The cheese can be of several types, but the most used is the Asturian cheese, which is a semi-duro cheese and with an intense flavor.

Why is it called Cachopo?

We are not sure of what is the origin of the name of this recipe, but we can relate it to the Asturian language. Where "Cacho" means a piece of meat and "pot" is a pot. 

• One of the theories around its name is that it arises from combining the words "Cacho" and "Pote", in Asturian they mean "piece of meat in a pot" or "piece of meat in a pan." It is just a theory.
• Another of the theories around his name could derive from the word "poppus", which in Asturian means "chop."

In any case, the name "Cachopo" is already known internationally as the delicious Asturian dish , accepted by all the people who have tried it.

How many types of cachopo exist? Its variants

As for the variants, one could say that they exist according to each person's taste. You can play with the flavors of other types of meat, such as hake, chicken, veal, fish , etc.

And if you want, you can also play with the filling, for this recipe there are no limits. You can find stuffed hatch with different ingredients such as mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, etc.

What is the difference between cachopo and scalope?

While they are two very similar dishes, both are empanized and fried meat fillets, we could detail some differences (including their names).

• The cachopo is a very typical Asturian dish, which is prepared with beef or pork. This is cooked fried in hot oil and stuffed with ham and cheese.
• On the other hand, the scallop is a French dish. The first difference is that the scallop is prepared with beef or chicken and may or may not have a filling. Fried is also cooked.

Although they share similarities in the preparation, the cachopo is a dish with a specific history and origin while the scallop is more common in other countries.

Three points in which they differ:

• The filling: the cachopo is stuffed with ham or serrano and cheese, while the scallop does not have a specific filling, but sometimes it is filled with cheese, ham or mushrooms.
• The size: the cachopo is usually larger than the scallop, since it is done with two meat fillets that are binded and filled, while the scallop in general is a single meat steak.
• The flavor: the cachopo has a more interesting and strong flavor, due to the combination of the meat with ham and cheese, while the scallop has a quieter taste, since in general it is the meat alone.

Ternera Cachopo

The calf of veal is a delicious variant of the typical Asturian dish. It is done with veal meat fillets instead of beef or pork. 

• The process of preparing the veal cachopo is very similar to the traditional horny, the fillets are empanized with flour, egg and breadcrumbs, and are fried in hot oil until golden and cooked inside.

The veal of the veal is less common than the traditional cachopo, this is because the veal is a bit more expensive and less easy to achieve, it is still a variant much appreciated by lovers of beef.

How to fry a cachopo without failing in the attempt

Then I detail in a simple way a few instructions so that you take into account before preparing fried chopping.

• First and very important* Prepare the fillets: If the fillets are thick, we will have to get them to be a little thinner, for this we could hit them with a kitchen hammer or a kitchen roller. If you don't have one of these utensils, you could use an empty bottle or something resistant.
• The second step is to carefully fill the fillets: this step should not be very complicated, we just have to place a slice of ham or serrano up one of the fillets. Above a slice of cheese and then closed with the second steak and ensure pressing on the sides so that the filling does not come out during frying.
• The shedding of the fillets: this step can be very simple if we do it patiently, we grab the fillets already stuffed and we pass it first through flour, then through beaten egg and finally by breadcrumbs. Making sure that they are well covered and with any discovered area.
• Hot oil: we heat the oil in a pan or fryer, the temperature must be 180 degrees Celsius. And the amount has to be enough to completely cover the fillets.
• Moment to fry the fillets: with hot oil and empanados fillets, we are ready to submerge them in hot oil. We fry them for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Using a sparkling or fork we will turn the fillets carefully to achieve perfect cooking.
• At the end, when it is well cooked, it is important to drain the fillets on a paper towel to eliminate excess oil.

Asturian Ternera Cachopo Recipe

Ingredients

• Frying oil. Preferably olive.
• 7 Librillo type cutting veal fillets.
• 7 ham slices.
• 7 slices of cheese.

INGREDIENTS FOR MARINA

• 2 eggs.
• 1 CDA. Dijon mustard.
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon.
• 1 clove of garlic.
• Chopped parsley.
• 1 CDA. of grated cheese.
• Salt and pepper.

Ingredients for the batter

• 100 gr of flour.
• 200 gr of breadcrumbs.
• 3 big eggs.

How to make a step by step

1. Place the eggs in a bowl along with all the ingredients to give flavor: mustard, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix everything well with the help of the whisk or fork.
2. On the other hand, save the fillets. Then extend one of the fillets and above place a ham feta and on it one of cheese (or two if they like).
3. Close above with the other half of the steak pressing at the edges. Try that the whole filling is well inside.
4. In a large dish place breadcrumbs and in another the flour. And then bite the cachopo. First and very carefully pass it by flour, then by the preparation of eggs, and then by breadcrumbs. Make sure it is well covered and closed.
5. Finally, having the prepared hounds, heating plenty of oil in a pan and fry at medium-high temperature. The oil should not be very hot to prevent them from being very roasted on the outside and raw inside. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, thus get a crispy gold -colored batter, the meat ready and the filling with the melted cheese on the ham. Remove and book on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.

6. Serve accompanied by the garrison you want.