Beef meatballs
Description
The recipe won't take much time. Prepare the minced meat, shape it into meatballs, then simmer in a vegetable sauce. Serve with pasta or rice. Serve hot.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Thoroughly wash the meat, remove any veins and other unwanted parts, and cut into cubes.
- 2
Step 2
Pour the milk into a saucepan or skillet and place over low heat. Turn off the heat after just 1 minute, and set the container aside. Attention: the milk should be barely warm.
- 3
Step 3
With clean hands, break the bread into several pieces and place them in a deep bowl. Pour warm milk over the bread and let it soak. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients for the meatballs. Attention: it's best to use bread from the middle of the loaf, without the crust.
- 4
Step 4
Rinse the parsley under running water, shake off excess liquid, and place it on a cutting board. Finely chop the greens with a knife and transfer to a clean small plate.
- 5
Step 5
Using a knife, peel the garlic cloves from their skin and then rinse them slightly under running water. Chop the cloves and transfer them to a small dish.
- 6
Step 6
Grind the meat pieces using a meat grinder. Attention: for uniform consistency of the meatballs, it is best to use a fine grinding plate.
- 7
Step 7
Now add the egg, finely chopped parsley with garlic, and pine nuts to the container. With clean hands, squeeze the bread well and also add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and thoroughly mix with a tablespoon. Set the meat mixture aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- 8
Step 8
Rinse the bell pepper under running water and place it on a cutting board. Using a knife, remove the stems and seeds. Now cut the vegetables into medium-sized pieces and transfer them to a clean plate.
- 9
Step 9
When the meat mixture has rested, we begin shaping the meatballs. To do this, pour wheat flour into a clean, dry bowl. Lightly moisten your clean hands under running water and take a small amount of the meat mixture. Attention: the meatballs should be slightly larger than a walnut. Roll the formed balls in flour on all sides and set them aside on a cutting board for now. Important: to prevent the pine nuts from falling out during frying, press them into the meatballs with your fingers.
- 10
Step 10
Now pour a small amount of vegetable oil into a frying pan and place it over medium heat. Once the pan is well heated, carefully place a portion of the meatballs in the pan, leaving a little space between each, and cook them on all sides until they develop a light golden crust. Attention: do not overcook. Immediately after browning, use a wooden spatula to transfer the meatballs back into the medium bowl (this bowl should be washed under running water beforehand and thoroughly dried with paper towels). Then place the next batch of meatballs into the pan and continue frying. Cook them in batches until all the meatballs have a golden crust.
- 11
Step 11
Now, without turning off the burner, slightly reduce the heat. Place a clean frying pan on the stove and pour in a little vegetable oil. Once the pan and oil are well heated, add the pieces of bell pepper. Stir occasionally with a wooden spatula and sauté until they turn a soft golden color. Immediately after that, pour the puréed tomatoes into the pan. Season the sauce with salt to taste, mix everything thoroughly again, and continue simmering for another 5 minutes.
- 12
Step 12
After the allotted time has passed, carefully place the meatballs into the sauce and simmer the dish for an additional 10–12 minutes. Then turn off the heat and cover the container with a lid. Let the meatballs in tomato sauce steep for a little while longer.