Pacholas (Pork Meat Patties)

Ingredients

• 225 g (½ lb) finely ground pork
• 1 small bolillo or French bread roll, 3-inch piece
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) milk
• ¼ small white onion, roughly sliced
• 3 large flat-leaf parsley sprigs, roughly chopped
• 1 large egg
• Sea salt, to taste
• Flour, for hands and plastic bags
• Lard or safflower oil, for frying

Method

1. 1
   Tear the bread into pieces and soak in the milk until fully saturated.
2. 2
   Combine the soaked bread and any remaining milk with the pork, onion, parsley, egg, and salt. Blend together until a soft, uniform paste forms.
3. 3
   Flour your hands and the inside surfaces of two plastic bags. Divide the mixture into tablespoon-sized portions and roll each into a ball.
4. 4
   Place a ball between the floured bags and press flat in a tortilla press to form a disk roughly 10 cm (4 inches) across.
5. 5
   Heat lard or oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat to approximately 175°C (350°F).
6. 6
   Fry patties in batches, about 2 minutes per side, until browned on both surfaces and cooked through.
7. 7
   Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven at 90°C (195°F) until ready to serve.