Pârjoale are Moldovan and Romanian meat patties. They are made of minced meat with onion, garlic, dill and soaked bread, shaped flat, coated in flour and fried in a pan until golden. They are served with mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers or mămăligă. It is an ordinary home dinner, cooked on weekdays and when guests come.

How pârjoale differ from other patties

Pârjoale are flat, not round. The bread, milk and onion in the mixture make them soft and juicy, and the flour coating forms a crisp crust. Mici (see the mici recipe) are made without bread and eggs: they are cooked over fire and are firmer.

Pârjoale differ from the meatballs in soup in that they are fried, not boiled. If you love balls in soup, look at ciorbă de perișoare.

Which mince to choose

The best mixture is pork and beef. Pork gives juiciness, beef firmness, and together the patties come out soft and do not fall apart. Very lean mince gives dry patties. Mince you make at home from neck and leg is better than the shop kind, but bought mince works too if it is fresh.

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The bread and the onion

Bread is the secret of softness. Take stale white bread without the crust, pour warm milk over it and wait ten minutes, then squeeze it out. It makes the patties soft and holds the juice.

Plenty of onion goes in: two medium ones for half a kilo of meat. It must be chopped finely or grated, then it gives juice and sweetness. Large pieces of onion burn in the pan and turn bitter. Add garlic to taste and chop the dill small.

How to mix the meat

Put all the ingredients together, salt and knead for five minutes. Take the mince in your hands, lift it and throw it back into the bowl: that way the mass firms up and the patties do not fall apart in frying. The mixture should be uniform and slightly sticky.

Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for twenty minutes. In that time the bread softens, the meat firms up and shaping is easier. Check the salt: you can fry a tiny patty and taste it.

Shaping and coating

Wet your hands with cold water so the meat does not stick. Take a lump the size of a small apple and shape it into a patty about eight centimetres wide and a centimetre and a half thick. Press lightly in the middle so the patty cooks evenly.

Coat each patty in flour on both sides and shake off the excess. Too much flour turns into a sticky crust in the pan. Do not leave the finished patties long: the flour makes them damp.

How to fry

Pour oil into the pan in a layer a few millimetres deep and heat it well. Lay in the patties without crowding and fry on medium heat, five or six minutes on each side. Do not turn them too early: the crust must set, otherwise the patty tears.

Doneness is easy to check: pierce a patty, and the juice should run clear. If the crust is already dark and the middle raw, cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat and give it three or four more minutes. Lift onto a paper towel.

The mashed potatoes

Peel the potatoes, cut into large pieces and boil in salted water for twenty minutes until soft. Drain and keep the potatoes on low heat for a minute so the moisture goes. Mash with a masher and add warm milk and butter. Do not use a blender: the mash turns gluey.

Good mash is smooth and fluffy. Salt it lightly. Potatoes in the shops now:

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What to serve with them

With the patties serve mash, pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut, fresh tomatoes and onion. In Moldova pârjoale are eaten with mămăligă and with fried potatoes too. Sour cream or tomato sauce on top is also fitting. For company, hot pepper on the table goes well.

If you want a simple weekly dinner plan, look at the budget dinner in our baskets. And for another mince dish try sarmale.

What it costs: Cheap family dinner: what to buy and where it costs less

The whole set at the best prices98.45 leiFound 6 of 6 items

Where to get the set

  • METRO6 of 6 itemsMost items
    381.59 lei
  • Kaufland5 of 6 items
    151.15 leiMissing: Pasta
  • Nr13 of 6 items
    84.30 leiMissing: Potatoes, Carrots, Onions
  • Rogob3 of 6 items
    131.80 leiMissing: Potatoes, Carrots, Onions
The whole basket

Variations

A grated potato goes into the mixture, making the patties more tender. Some add boiled rice or a little semolina instead of bread. For aroma add dried savory or paprika. Pârjoale can be baked in the oven at 200 degrees for twenty-five minutes, turning once.

Small balls from the same mixture go into soup, and large flat patties are good cold in a sandwich.

Storing them and saving money

Keep finished patties in the fridge for up to three days in a closed container. Reheat them in a pan under a lid for a few minutes. Raw ones can be frozen between layers of paper: fry without thawing, adding a few minutes.

To save, take meat on offer and mix different kinds. Bread and onion help stretch the portion: there are more patties, and the taste stays good. Pârjoale come out best from fresh mince, so mince it or buy it on the day you fry.