Hello you foodies, is anybody hungry for garlicky, spicy and delicious meal?
I know I am! This time I made meatballs from scratch and made a dish called ćufte in my language. It's easy and very fast to make, so it was perfect for my busy day. But there is a catch, my toddler doesn't eat that lunch (too strong for his little tummy) so I had to make a separate one for him.
This dish is once again originally from Turkish people, but that makes sense because they ruled over our country for over 500 years. Their cuisine made a huge impact on ours, and now most dishes we make are actually Turkish.
Ingredients:
- Minced meat (I use a mix of beef and pork)
- Garlic
- Tomato sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil (it can be cooked on pork fat too)
- Flour and paprika
- Breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
Preparation:
As always I prepare the most ingredients before I start cooking, that way I have a good perception on what goes next and also it cuts time of the preparation.
Garlic is a huge part of this dish and I love to put in at least three cloves (more if they are smaller). Garlic press is ideal for this because you could neve chop it so finely as the press does it.
The trick is to make a meaty dough, that is moist enough so it doesn't fall apart while cooking. So I added one egg, breadcrumbs and spices, along with garlic.
Once you mixed it well, and by well I mean with your hands, shape the meat in to smaller balls and prepare the pot for frying. Put some oil in it and set it on low heat. I am browning the meat just enough so it tastes better and leaves a bit of juices for further cooking.
Once they are nice and brown, take them out and put them aside. Take the pot off the fire and in the same pot put a table spoon of flour and a teaspoon of paprika. Put the pot back on the low heat and heat up the flour constantly mixing (or it will burn).
Add the tomato sauce little at a time, so it doesn't clump up the flour. And add the same amount of water in the pot.
Once it cooked for a little bit, season it with salt and pepper to taste and put the meatballs back in the pot, to cook for 10 more minutes on low heat all together. I ran out of time and made instant mashed potato (which I love more than homemade one, for some reason).
And your dish is ready to be served!
You can also mix it with spaghetti the next day, just cut the balls in to small pieces and there you have a totally new meal, spaghetti Bolognese!
With love,
Tamara
mmm looks good!
Thanks! :)