by Bogre
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my 19 recipes »
Photo by Sarah Shatz
A&M's Testing Notes:
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3/4 pounds ground pork Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 pounds ground beef (80/20 or 85/15) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 pound pancetta, small dice Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup parmesean, grated Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 cups breadcrumbs Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon (each) red pepper flakes, ground coriander, ground cumin, caraway seeds (crushed), kosher salt, and ground pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
2 eggs, lightly beaten Ask a question about this ingredient
2/3 cups whole milk Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 medium onion, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient
1 large banana pepper, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika (1 heaping tbsp) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon hot or half-sharp paprika Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon porcini mushroom powder Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon (each) dried rosemary, thyme, crushed fennel seeds, and marjoram Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup dry white wine Ask a question about this ingredient
15 oz stewed tomatoes, chopped, with juices Ask a question about this ingredient
Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly mix all ingredients for the meatballs except the olive oil together and form into balls 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter. (Depending on size, you should get between 20 and 30.) Allow time to refrigerate them so they firm up a bit.
Ask a question about this stepIn an oven-safe pan, brown the meatballs in olive oil on all sides. Remove to a plate, cover with foil, and set aside.
Ask a question about this stepAdd the chopped onion to the pan dripping and saute until starting to brown. Add mushroom and saute a few minutes more, until they start to brown as well. Add garlic and peppers and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the paprikas, the porcini powder, and the rest of the herbs and spices. Cook, stirring, about a minute. Deglaze with wine. Cook until wine is mostly evaporated, then stir in tomatoes and their juices and the broth. Bring to a boil and return the meatballs to the pan.
Ask a question about this stepTransfer the pan the oven and braise for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and luxuriating in the awesome aromas that should be enveloping your kitchen at this point.
Ask a question about this stepWhen the braising time is up, remove the pan from the oven. Put the sour cream into a small bowl, then temper it by stirring in a few spoonfuls of the braising liquid. Stir the sour cream mixture back into the pan, coating the meatballs and heating through. Serve as an appetizer or with spaetzle or egg noodles for an entree.
Ask a question about this stepSunday afternoon and my house smells fabulous! My Italian grandmother might be frowning down on me, but I can't wait for dinner....
I made this on Superbowl Sunday (just for the family - no party). They were very tasty. I eliminated the hot paprika because we'd been eating spicy food all weekend. The braising technique was a revelation to me. I've never cooked meatballs so long. Tasty!
these sound absolutely divine. my family always used to serve Swedish meatballs on holidays and family occasions but I like these because there's a spicy kick to them with the paprika and pepper flakes. Can't wait to make these and report back!
My mother-in-law is Hungarian and I made this for my in-laws' anniversary dinner. They were simply amazing and were a very big hit with everyone. They are well worth the time it takes to prepare them.
I've had this saved since last year and finally had the time to make this. It was definitely worth the effort. We loved the flavors of the meatballs and sauce. Really delicious!
Having tasted these meatballs, I can vouch for the fact that they are fantastic!
Thanks! I am going to Hungary next week and can't wait to get paprika there to bring home. Your recipe looks great.
Since I have been back from Hungary I made these, and they are really incredible!
Your recipe popped up on the right side of my screen, and looks delicious. Half Hungarian, I posted a recipe for goulash some months back. Will most likely wait until weather cools before making this, but have already printed it out - thanks!
This recipe first attracted me to this site. Picture is beautiful! However, this was a lot of work to prepare and the meatballs/sauce were too spicy for my family and me. Will try again by using less, or eliminating, some of the spices.
OK, this is a recipe wiki, so I feel completely at ease about splitting hairs in this very interesting recipe. Have made it for three groups so far (and tweaked recipe differently on second and third batch). Tomorrow evening, I make fourth version for very old French-American friend, that will include previous dinner-table feedback and my own edits. One hint: fresh, rather than dried rosemary, makes a big difference.
I agree, and I use fresh herbs when I have them. The thing is, I live by myself, and I'm usually cooking for just me, so it's somewhat impractical for me to buy fresh herbs that I'm not going to use that often. I have nothing against rosemary, of course, but I use it a lot less than I use other herbs. But again, you're right, if you have fresh, by all means use them!
A&M are right - these meatballs are well worth taking time out of a precious weekend. Deeply flavorful and savory. Perfect for parties or Sunday dinner with family and friends. And yes, a great addition to the repertoire, Veronique.
Sounds light and heavy at the same time! What a perfect mix for a cool fall day!
Veronique--The powder can be made by buzzing dried porcini mushrooms in a food processor, blender, or spice grinder.
Veronique--The powder can be made by buzzing dried porcini mushrooms in a food processor, blender, or spice grinder.
Where on earth can I find porcini mushroom *powder* in Boston? Is it really that essential an ingredient?
Am trying out this weekend in a repertoire-building exercise (just finished reading "Cooking for Mr. Latte" in which having a good repertoire merits an essay). Meatballs look worthy of the not inconsiderable effort required and AH essays are delightful. Highly recommended.
This was delicious. I could have tripled the recipe and there still wouldn't have been enough, people loved it so much!
Steven is the author of the best-selling Barbecue Bible and the host of two grilling TV shows: The Primal Grill and Barbecue University.
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The reality behind the ingredient shot.
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When working with meatballs (or meatloaf, or hamburgers) you want to handle the mixture as little as possible, or risk making it tough.
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Merrill's brilliant meatball rolling trick- use wet hands, and they won't stick.
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After forming the balls, it's important to get them into the fridge for at least half an hour. The mixture is quite soft, and needs time to firm up before browning.
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We ended up browning on about 3 sides.
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After the meatballs were finished browning, we added the onions right into the pan, make sure to scrape up all the brown bits.
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We added mushrooms, browned them, and then the pepper and garlic, and sauteed until fragrant. Then, the spices. Hot, sweet, and smoked paprika, dried rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, crushed fennel seeds, and porcini powder. It smelled wonderful.
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Allowing the spices to cook for about a minute causes them to lose the raw edge that you can often taste.
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After deglazing with white wine, we let it cook down to almost dry, concentrating all the flavors, and then added the chicken stock and stewed tomatoes.
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Nestling the meatballs into the sauce.
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Although it wasn't specified to add a lid, we did, as the meatballs are meant to braise.
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When the meatballs were done braising, the finishing step is to add a little sour cream to the sauce. Tempering is key, or all your hard work will be rewarded with a curdled sauce and the crushing disappointment that accompanies it. So, add a spoonful of sauce to the sour cream, and whisk it together. Repeat until the sour cream feels almost warm from the sauce, and pour it in.
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Beautiful! And decidedly not curdled.
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This was absolutely the best meal I have cooked in 3-4 weeks (I cook frequently). Thnak you for sharing it . It will become part of my stable of go to meals! Great Job!