Polish Meatballs

POLISH MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND 

EGG NOODLES

by Luclare Cuisine

Did you know that the great Italian dish Spaghetti and Meatballs isn’t even made in Italy?  It’s really an Italian-American concoction developed by Italian immigrants to the US.  Italy has it’s own home-grown version of meatballs that are generally a separate dish not paired with spaghetti.  Almost every country has their own version of the meatball.  Meatballs are one of those dishes that spans the globe.  They can be made of various types of ground meat - beef, pork, veal or any combination, along with other ingredients like breadcrumbs (soaked in broth or milk), eggs, minced onions, minced garlic, etc.  Meatballs are cooked either by  frying, baking or braising - we are frying and baking ours - a little trick that keeps them moist.  Various recipes can be found - ours is based on Polish Mielone Kotlety.  They are moist, delicious and you can’t stop at one.  We paired ours with homemade tomato sauce - it’s especially good with egg noodles - sort of a Polish variant of the great Italian-American classic.

So let’s get on with the cooking…

Ingredients for Meatballs:

1 lb (456 g) ground beef, or beef/pork or beef/pork/veal

2 tablespoons onion, minced

1 or 2 large garlic, minced

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 cup plain breadcrumbs (4 tablespoons for the meatballs the rest to coat the meatballs)

1/2 cup (4 fl oz / 120 ml) beef broth or chicken or both, heated to approximately 100 F

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon basil

pepper, freshly ground

Ingredients for the Sauce:

2 large cans (28 oz / 794 g) each crushed tomatoes 

1 cup whole milk

1/2 large onion, chopped 

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon basil

2 tablespoons oil

1 bag egg noodles or spaghetti

You will need a frying pan, a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, a pot to make the sauce (if you're making the sauce), a pot to cook the noodles.

You can use your favorite sauce or make the ours: Make the sauce either the day before or a few hours before serving the dinner. In a large pot heat the oil and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent, add garlic, cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil and milk. Stir, bring to boil, lower the heat, cover the pot and  simmer the sauce for a few hours. Stir frequently, the sauce is ready when it tastes smooth and creamy.

To make the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Combine the broth and the breadcrumbs, mix, set aside until the liquid is absorb by the breadcrumbs. 

In a large bowl combine the meat, onion, garlic, egg, egg white, breadcrumbs, salt, basil and  pepper.

Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated.  

Form the meat mixture into balls from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch in diameter. The size depends on your preference. To help you make similar size balls you can use a small or medium size ice cream spoon.

Then drop the balls into the breadcrumbs. Using your hands round the balls in the palm of your hands.  

In a large pan over medium heat pour in a couple of tablespoons of oil (Safflower oil or any vegetable oil).  Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs and lightly brown them just long enough to seal the juices. 

Transfer the browned meatballs to a baking sheet, bake the small meatballs approximately 15 minutes, large ones 20 minutes. Ovens vary so check to make sure the middle is not red, be careful not to over-bake the meatballs, as not to dry them.

While the meatballs are baking cook the egg noodles according to the instructions on the back of the package. If you did a sauce a head of time or using a ready made sauce, this is a good time to reheat. 

Once the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce.  With the heat on low, simmer until the meatballs are heated through.

Now you are ready to plate. Don't forget Parmesan and good rustic bread and butter!

For a video of the Polish Meatballs recipe go to our youtube channel luclare cuisine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd8c3ZVuTxg

Smacznego! Enjoy!

Luclare Cuisine