Beef and Anchovy Meatballs with Soured Cream

Hi! It is time to start Monday with a nice meal. For today we have a delicious recipe, on the house, of course, followed from  Josceline Dimbleby’s “Marvellous Meals with Mince”, 1982. It is tried and tested so don’t worry. You can accompany it with a glass of red or white wine because it has red meat but also white meat. And for desert, may I suggest the fruit that blushes when you cook it? Ok, is that all? Thank you, it will be ready in 10-15 minutes. You can enjoy the wine in the meantime.

Beef and Anchovy Meatballs with Soured Cream

I have not counted them

Ingredients:

• 75 g/ 3 oz white bread (or brown) with crusts cut off
• milk
• 350 g/ 3/4 lb ground beef
• 50 g/ 1 3/4 oz can of anchovy fillets
• 2-3 cloves of garlic cloves
• a handful of  parsley,  chopped finely
• flour
• 1 tbsp/ 15 ml oil
• a good blob of butter
• 150 ml/ 5 fl oz carton of soured cream
• chopped parsley to garnish
• salt and black pepper

Method:

• Pull the bread apart roughly and pour over enough milk to soak it. Mash with a fork until pasty. Add the ground beef and drain in the oil from the can of anchovies. With a sharp knife, chop the anchovies and garlic together very finely. Mix into the meat with the parsley and season well with salt and black pepper. With wet hands, form the mixture into meatballs, each about the size of a walnut, and roll in flour.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan. Reduce  the heat to medium and fry the meatballs for about 6-8 minutes, turning them round all the time, until they  are a rich golden brown all over. Tansfer to a warm with a slotted spoon. Stir the soured cream with a fork and then spoon over the meatballs. You can use yoghurt for a light ans healthier choice. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Enjoy your meal!

Elena G

Pernute

Sa incep de luni, zic. Ma gandeam acum ca, virgula, chiftelele seamana cu niste pernute…de carne. Le pot zice si asa. 🙂 Azi continui periplul prin lumea pernutelor sau mai degraba a ceea ce poti face cu carnea tocata. In general faci pernute, pardon, chiftele, asa ca voi povesti despre o reteta delicioasa, care include si peste, asa, ca sa nu ne departam prea mult de aceasta “leguma” minunata. Reteta e culeasa si testata, asa ca stiu despre ce vorbesc. Sau nu? Oi vedea eu. E culeasa din “Marvellous Meals With Mince” scrisa de Josceline Dimbleby, carte aparuta in 1982 si despre care stii acum, ca am tot gasit in ea retete bune, din punctul meu de vedere. Mie mi-au placut, ramane sa iti placa si tie si sa decizi daca le vei face. Vezi si chiftelutele de peste din aceeasi carte.

Chiftele de vita si ansoa cu smantana

Nu stiu cate ies ca nu le-am numarat

Ingrediente:

• 75g/ 3 oz paine alba (sau mai bronzata daca doresti), decojita
• lapte
• 350 g/ 3/4 lb carne vita tocata (cumpara carne buna si toac-o la magazin sau acasa)
• 50 g/ 1 3/4 oz ansoa file (pentru ca e un peste mai costisitor, poti inlocui si cu altul, cu conditia sa fie un peste cu carne mai ferma)
• 2-3 catei usturoi
• o mana de patrunjel, tocat fin
• faina
• 1 lingura/ 15 ml ulei (il prefer pe cel presat la rece si ti-l recomand)
• o lingura de unt
• 150 ml/ 5 fl oz smantana
• o legatura de ptarunjel, tocat, pentru decor (si mancat)
• sare si piper

Preparare:

• Rupe painea in bucati si toarna suficient lapte ca sa se inmoaie. Amestec-o cu o furculita pana devine o pasta. Adauga carnea tocata de vita si adauga uleiul din recipientul cu ansoa. Cu un cutit ascutit, toaca ansoa si usturoiul foarte fin. Amesteca-le in carne alaturi de patrunjel si asezoneaza cu sare si piper negru. Cu maini ude formeaza chiftelele, cam de marimea unei nuci si rostogoleste-le prin faina.
• Incalzeste uleiul si untul intr-o tigaie. Cartea recomanda sa fie mai mare tigaia dar daca nu ai, vei face chiftelele in etape, nu-i bai. Redu focul la mediu si prajeste chiftelele cca 6-8 minute, intorcandu-le continuu, pana devin aurii-maronii pe toata suprafata. Transfera-le intr-o farfurie calda (sa fiu sincera numai la caldura farfurie nu ma gandesc cand gatesc insa este un detaliu interesant) cu o lingura gen strecuratoare (pentru a se scurge mai usor si mai repede uleiul). Pentru a fi sigur/a ca nu ai ulei prea mult ramas, poti pune cateva servetele in farfurie pentru a absorbi excesul apoi le transferi in alta, curata si evident, incalzita. ;)) Acum vine partea care te face sa iti fie foame. Amesteca smantana un pic apoi rastoarn-o peste chiftele si decoreaza cu patrunjel. Poti schimba smantana cu iaurt daca vrei o varianta light si mai sanatoasa. Ti-e foame? Serveste.

Pofta buna!

Elena G