The dish to eat in Oviedo · Spain

Cachopo

Name: Asturian cachopo
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 to 4 (1 large cachopo)
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 2 large thin veal or beef top round fillets (about 7 oz / 200 g each), pounded to 1/4 inch (6 mm); Salt and black pepper; 4 thin slices serrano ham; 4 oz (115 g) melting cheese, sliced (Asturian Afuega'l pitu, or Gouda, mozzarella or provolone); Optional: a few roasted red pepper strips; 1/2 cup (65 g) flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 cups (120 g) fine breadcrumbs; Olive oil or sunflower oil, for frying; To serve: fries, roasted piquillo peppers, and Asturian cider

Photo: GoodCrossing, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Two big veal fillets sandwiching ham and melting cheese, breaded and fried, served with chips and peppers.

Asturias's giant breaded veal, stuffed with ham and cheese, has become the region's most famous plate. In Oviedo's sidrerías, one cachopo feeds two.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Oviedo

Tierra Astur
Calle Gascona (the Cider Boulevard)
Order: Cachopo to share, with cider poured from on high
A big, lively sidrería on Oviedo's cider street, famous for its cachopos.
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Sidrería Pichote
La Florida
Order: The cachopo, a local favorite
A neighborhood sidrería known around town for its cachopo.
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La Viera
Calle Álvarez Lorenzana
Order: One of its cachopo variations
Known for creative takes on the cachopo, with Asturian cheeses.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best cachopo in Oviedo, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Asturian cachopo

Serves 2 to 4 (1 large cachopo)Time 45 min

Two very thin, wide fillets of veal (or beef), with serrano ham and a melting Asturian cheese in between. Seal the edges well so the cheese stays inside.

Pans and tools

Meat mallet or rolling pin
Plastic wrap
Three shallow dishes
Large wide skillet
Two spatulas

You’ll need

2 large thin veal or beef top round fillets (about 7 oz / 200 g each), pounded to 1/4 inch (6 mm)
Salt and black pepper
4 thin slices serrano ham
4 oz (115 g) melting cheese, sliced (Asturian Afuega'l pitu, or Gouda, mozzarella or provolone)
Optional: a few roasted red pepper strips
1/2 cup (65 g) flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups (120 g) fine breadcrumbs
Olive oil or sunflower oil, for frying
To serve: fries, roasted piquillo peppers, and Asturian cider

Steps

Put each fillet between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to an even 1/4 inch thick and roughly the same size and shape. Season lightly on both sides (the ham is salty).
Lay one fillet flat. Cover it with the ham, then the cheese and peppers, leaving a 3/4-inch (2 cm) border bare all around.
Lay the second fillet on top and press the edges together firmly with your fingers to seal.
Dredge in flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in beaten egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Dip in egg and breadcrumbs a second time, pressing the edges well. Chill 15 minutes.
Heat 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil in a large, wide skillet to 340F (170C).
Fry the cachopo 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning carefully with two spatulas, until deep golden and the cheese is melted (165F / 74C in the center).
Drain on a rack for 2 minutes. Cut in strips and serve with fries, peppers and a glass of cider.

Chef’s tips

Double breading is what keeps the cheese from escaping.

Ask the butcher to slice the veal thin for you.

Cider is poured from a height (escanciar) to aerate it; drink each small pour quickly.

Contains: Wheat, egg, milk.

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