Meatball Stroganoff

By jonoandjules on 6 January 2025

This is nice twist on a retro dish. Delicious!

Wine suggestion: this almost demands an oaked white and given the time of year we thought Patrick Javillier's Bourgogne Cuvée des Forgets, from the vineyards near Meursault would match with equal amounts of richness, buttery toastiness and a fresh, minerally core. Sometimes nothing can beat a good, deftly handled, oaked Chardonnay.

Meatball Stroganoff - serves 6

500g dried tagliatelle
50g unsalted butter
2 tsp poppy seeds

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

70g slightly stale bread, crusts removed and roughly torn
100ml milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g beef mince
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg
5g dill, chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
60ml olive oil, for frying the meatballs

FOR THE SAUCE:

3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
50g unsalted butter
400g small chestnut mushrooms, quartered
3 tbsp cognac
1½ tsp hot smoked paprika
1½ tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
650ml beef stock
150g sour cream

TO SERVE:

dill pickles, roughly chopped
a handful of dill, roughly chopped

Put the bread in the milk in a large bowl and set aside to soak for about 5 minutes.

Put the oil in a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then scrape into a bowl. Allow the onions to cool a little, then add them to the bowl with the soaked bread, along with the remaining meatball ingredients, apart from the oil for frying the meatballs. Season with 1 tsp of salt and some black pepper. Mix together well with your hands, then make 26 meatballs (they should be about 30g each). Cover and keep the mixture in the fridge until ready to cook.

Put 2 tbsp of the oil into a large sauté pan and place over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the meatballs and cook for 8 minutes, until nicely browned and just cooked, shake the pan gently to turn them. Transfer to a plate and cook the rest of the meatballs in another 2 tbsp of oil. Set aside.

In the same pan that you fried the meatballs, add the shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to caramelise. Add the garlic, cook for a minute, then scrape into a bowl.

Add half the butter to the pan, then add half the mushrooms, ¼ tsp of salt and cook for 6 minutes, until well browned and there is no liquid. Tip into the bowl with the shallots and repeat with the remaining mushrooms and butter, adding another ¼ tsp of salt.

Tip the mushrooms and shallots back into the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cognac and let it bubble for a few seconds, then add the paprika, tomato purée, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by a third. Add the sour cream, meatballs, ½ tsp of salt and some pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of salty water, then drain and return to the pot, then add the butter and poppy seeds. Toss gently to melt the butter, then divide between six bowl and spoon the meatballs sauce on top. Garnish with chopped pickles and dill.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller & Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2024. )