Meatballs are a tasty and satisfying dish, ideally suited to all known side dishes, but quite often they turn out to be rather dry.
And all because they are cooked without sauces and gravy that add taste and richness to the finished dish.
Try to cook meatballs in sour cream sauce, and you will be surprised how tender, soft and tasty you get delicious meat balls.
Meatballs in sour cream sauce - general principles of preparation
For the preparation of meatballs in sour cream sauce, any mincemeat is used: beef, chicken, pork, fish and others.
Stuffing is thoroughly kneading, adding an egg for bonding, spices and salt to taste, after which they form neat small balls. The size of meatballs depends on taste preferences, but usually they do not exceed 3-4 cm in diameter. The larger the meatballs, the longer they cook.
Meatballs are first fried in hot oil, then baked in the oven or stewed in a saucepan in sour cream sauce.
Properly made sauce is more than half the success of the finished dish. The sauce can be prepared simply: dilute sour cream with water or broth, or you can make it much more interesting and appetizing.
For example, mix these ingredients:
• sour cream, cream, spices;
• water, tomato paste, sour cream;
• sour cream, water, chopped greens;
• sour cream, lemon juice, broth, spices.
You can also add additional ingredients to the sauce, such as fried vegetables, mushrooms, cheese chips, herbs, chopped nuts, and even dried fruits. It all depends on the imagination of the cook and the willingness to experiment.
Meatballs with cereals, vegetables, pasta are served - with any classic side dishes. They are also good with hearty or light green salads made from fresh vegetables and herbs.
Recipe 1: Chicken Meatballs in Sour Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
• 700-800 grams of minced chicken;
• egg;
• a third of a glass of milk;
• onion;
• 50 grams of white bread;
• vegetable oil for frying;
• 20 grams of butter and olive oil for the sauce;
• two tablespoons of flour;
• 700 ml of chicken stock;
• 120 grams of sour cream;
• salt, pepper mixture, nutmeg.
Cooking method:
1. Crush the bread into milk, after the crumbs are soaked, squeeze them.
2. Chop the onion as small as possible, for this you can use a sharp knife or a blender.
3. Thoroughly mash the minced chicken, add the egg, onion, bread crumbs, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Stir again: the longer you get in the way, the more tender the meatballs will be.
4. Stuff the prepared meat for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator. This is necessary so that the mass becomes denser and the meat balls are neat and do not fall apart during cooking.
5. Make small, accurate meatballs from chilled minced meat. To prevent the mass from sticking to your hands, periodically dip them in cool water.
6. Put the meatballs on a hot oil in a frying pan, quickly fry over high heat on all sides to a slight blush.
7. In another deep frying pan or in a cauldron, stewpan, warm the mixture of olive and butter, pour flour, fry until browned.
8. Pour the broth into the flour mass, add sour cream, a little salt, mix thoroughly. Stew on the quietest fire until thick, about 5 minutes.
9. Put the fried meatballs in sour cream sauce, cover the cauldron with a lid, simmer for 15 minutes.
Recipe 2: Fish Meatballs in Sour Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
• a pound of white fish fillet;
• onion;
• egg;
• 130 grams of sour cream;
• half a glass of broth (fish or vegetable);
• salt, parsley leaves;
• vegetable oil;
• a tablespoon of flour.
Cooking method:
1. Twist the fish fillet in a meat grinder or chop in a blender.
2. Cut the onion into small cubes and fry until soft.
3. Wash, dry and chop the parsley leaves. It is important to use only green leaves, so that the structure of meatballs is delicate, and so that the taste of parsley is not so bright.
4. Mix the minced meat with fried onions, herbs and eggs. Salt to taste.
5. Roll neat meatballs, roll the fish balls in flour, fry for 1-2 minutes in hot oil.
6. Pour in a mixture of broth and sour cream. Stew for about 10 minutes until thickened with sour cream sauce.
Recipe 3: Oven Meatballs in Sour Cream Sauce with Almonds in the Oven
Ingredients:
• 600 grams of minced meat (pork, beef or mixed);
• 20 g butter;
• 20 g of almond kernels;
• zest of half a lemon;
• two cloves of garlic;
• egg;
• two tablespoons of flour;
• half a liter of broth (meat, vegetable, chicken);
• 200 g sour cream;
• salt;
• fennel seed and thyme leaves.
Cooking method:
1. Mix the minced meat with chopped almonds, finely chopped herbs, lemon zest shavings and eggs.
2. Salt the meat, add chopped garlic, and form the meatballs.
3. Warm the butter in a pan, fry the meat balls until a slight blush.
4. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet with high sides.
5. Pour a mixture of broth, sour cream and flour.
6. Bake for 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 160 degrees.
Recipe 4: Swedish Meatballs in Sour Cream Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
• kilogram of ground beef;
• two onions;
• egg;
• 250 g sour cream;
• 500 g of tomato paste;
• three tablespoons of flour;
• pepper, salt, spices.
Cooking method:
1. Peel and chop the onion.
2. In a deep bowl, combine ground beef with onions, eggs, salt and spices.
3. Knead the minced meat until smooth.
4. Form small meatballs with wet hands.
5. Put the semi-finished products on a greased baking sheet, bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
6. In a small saucepan, fry the flour until a pinkish-golden color, add tomato paste. Stir, stirring vigorously, until thickened - 2-3 minutes.
7. Pour sour cream into the sauce, add salt and spices to taste, chopped greens if desired.
8. Pour the meatballs with sour cream sauce, return the pan to the oven again, now for 20 minutes.
Recipe 5: Meatballs in Sour Cream Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
• 200 grams of ground beef;
• 200 grams of minced pork;
• 400 grams of champignons;
• two onions;
• 230 g sour cream;
• egg;
• salt, spices;
• vegetable oil;
• 220 ml cream.
Cooking method:
1. Rinse the mushrooms, cut the mushrooms into small cubes.
2. Peel and chop the onion.
3. Put the onion in a pan, pour in oil, fry the vegetable until a tender blush.
4. Add mushrooms, fry, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
5. Divide the mushroom mass into three parts, leave 2/3 for sour cream sauce, 1/3 for meatballs.
6. Mix two types of minced meat, add the laid-back mushrooms, egg, add spices and salt.
7. Fashion medium-sized meatballs.
8. Put on a baking sheet, send for 10 minutes in the oven, setting the temperature to 180 degrees.
9. For sour cream sauce, put mushroom roast in a blender bowl, add sour cream, cream, to taste spices. Grind the mixture to a sauce.
10. Pour in the fragrant sour cream mixture of meatballs, cook at the same temperature for another 20 minutes.
Recipe 6: Meatballs in Sour Cream Rice Sauce
Ingredients:
• 800 grams of beef tenderloin;
• 130 grams of rice;
• 100 grams of tomato sauce;
• onion;
• flour;
• half a glass of sour cream;
• glass of water;
• three eggs;
• carrot;
• vegetable oil;
• salt pepper.
Cooking method:
1. Chop the beef into small pieces or twist through a large wire rack in a meat grinder.
2. Do the same with onions.
3. Rinse the cereal and boil until half ready in plenty of water, then rinse the cereal and drain the water.
4. Mix the minced meat with rice, add the onion, eggs and tomato sauce. Knead the mass.
5. Blind the meatballs are not very large. Roll each meat ball in flour.
6. Fry each meatball in hot oil for a couple of minutes until a blush.
7. Put the fried balls in a saucepan, pour a mixture of water and sour cream, salt to taste, add finely grated carrots.
8. As soon as the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, simmer the meatballs in sour cream sauce under a closed lid for 20 minutes.
Meatballs in sour cream sauce - tricks and tips
• For cooking meatballs, use small tender minced meat or large chopped meat.
• Stuffing can be prepared independently or purchased ready-made.
• Use only chilled minced meat; if you have frozen, thaw it in advance.
• If you buy ready-made stuffing, pay attention to the composition of the product. In the first place, it should be printed meat, not lard or skins.
• So that when forming meatballs, the minced meat does not stick to your hands, you need to dip your hands in cool water.
• Meatballs will turn out to be tight and will not fall apart when stewed, if first mincemeat thoroughly for a long time and carefully, then remove it for 20-30 minutes in a cold place.
• Do not neglect the preliminary frying of meatballs, as they will turn out more aromatic, juicier and tastier.
• Meatballs will be more tender if you use minced meat with fat for their preparation.
• Meatballs are juicier if sour cream sauce covers them completely.
• The flour used in the sauce allows it to thicken; instead of flour, corn starch can be used.
• Meatballs in sour cream sauce can be made a festive dish if chopped nuts, prunes, herbs or cheese are put in each meat ball. Or if you add additional aromatic ingredients to the sauce: herbs, mushrooms, cheese.
