Cherry season in Odessa is very short and lasts no more than a month. The desire of Odessa residents to eat all that is possible from cherries and stock it for the future for a whole year is growing at lightning speed, as are the prices for cherries at the markets and bazaars at the end of the season. Happy people carry it on outstretched arms so as not to crush the tender and juicy, sweet and sour queen of June. They rush home from the markets with baskets, boxes, buckets and, at worst, bags full of crimson, shiny berries. And then they impartially force all family members to put on old T-shirts in order to pit the cherries. So, a season of clothes “with cherry dots” begins. When the torture with pits ends, it’s time to cook everything that is possible from cherries: jams, compotes, vertutas, pies, dumplings, liqueurs and, if there are still some cherries left, even sauces for meat.
Cherry season in Odessa is very short and lasts no more than a month. The desire of Odessa residents to eat all that is possible from cherries and stock it for the future for a whole year is growing at lightning speed, as are the prices for cherries at the markets and bazaars at the end of the season. Happy people carry it on outstretched arms so as not to crush the tender and juicy, sweet and sour queen of June. They rush home from the markets with baskets, boxes, buckets and, at worst, bags full of crimson, shiny berries. And then they impartially force all family members to put on old T-shirts in order to pit the cherries. So, a season of clothes “with cherry dots” begins. When the torture with pits ends, it’s time to cook everything that is possible from cherries: jams, compotes, vertutas, pies, dumplings, liqueurs and, if there are still some cherries left, even sauces for meat.- Prep time: 10 minutes + 20 minutes’ marinating
- Cook time: 40 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: medium
- Course: main course
- Cookware: knife
- Cuisine: Odessa
Ingredients
- 600 g veal fillet
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 5 sprigs of rosemary
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt
For the cherry sauce:
- 250 g cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 50 ml dry red wine
- juice of ¼ lemon
Cooking method
Step 1
Cut the meat (see tips) across into 4 pieces, each about 3cm thick. Shape the medallions with your hands. Season the meat with pepper and salt, add olive oil, rosemary and thyme leaves. Marinate for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Cook the cherry sauce. Pour the cherries into a saucepan, add sugar, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice. Boil for another 10-15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and strain through a sieve.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 180˚С. Place the frying pan on a slightly above medium heat. Fry each medallion on both sides for 1½ -2 minutes. Place the medallions on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 2-3 minutes. Serve with cherry sauce.
My tips and tricks:
Most often, veal fillet is sold whole, with an average weight of about 1kg. The central part of the fillet is the most tender and lean. This is what we need for fillet steaks. The fillet must be cleaned from the silver skin, the wide and narrow parts must be cut off (they are called the “tip” and “wing”). You will have a central part weighing 600g. Cut the filet steaks across, into pieces 3cm thick. When frying the steaks, do not overload the pan. Lay them out so that most of the pan is uncovered, so that the liquid from the meat has time to evaporate and the steaks are fried, not steamed.
- 600 g veal fillet
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 5 sprigs of rosemary
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt
- For the cherry sauce:
- 250 g cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 50 ml dry red wine
- juice of ¼ lemon
- Cut the meat (see tips) across into 4 pieces, each about 3cm thick. Shape the medallions with your hands. Season the meat with pepper and salt, add olive oil, rosemary and thyme leaves. Marinate for 20 minutes.
- Cook the cherry sauce. Pour the cherries into a saucepan, add sugar, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice. Boil for another 10-15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and strain through a sieve.
- Heat the oven to 180˚С. Place the frying pan on a slightly above medium heat. Fry each medallion on both sides for 1½ -2 minutes. Place the medallions on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 2-3 minutes. Serve with cherry sauce.