Rachael's Meatball Stroganoff
"These meatballs are a riff on my filling for meat cannelloni and my white Bolognese sauce," Rach says. "The secret ingredient is a little pate mixed in with the ground meats, which is optional but recommended. When I make chicken liver pate, I reserve a little for other recipes. If I don't have my pate on hand, I buy a few ounces of mousse pate at the deli counter, 1 thin slice."
Serve with a simple salad with radishes and Dijon vinaigrette.
For another recipe that uses Rach's white bolognese sauce, try her White Bolognese Lasagna.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 1 pound ground veal
- 1 pound ground chicken (½ pound each dark and white or store-bought blend)
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup half-and-half or cream
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt and white pepper
- 1 egg
- 3-4 ounce mousse pate (duck and pork or chicken), optional
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
- 2 large shallot, or 1 onion, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 round tablespoon flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika or smoked sweet paprika
- ½ cup sherry or white wine
- 1 cup beef bone stock or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup cream
- 1 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
- 12-16 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup dill, parsley and chives, combined
Heat oven to 375˚F.
Heat a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Melt butter, add onions and garlic and saute a couple of minutes, then add ¾ cup water and let it cook out to soften the onions completely. Cool the onions. Place the meats in a bowl and combine, make a well, add breadcrumbs and moisten with half-n-half or cream. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper, add egg, pate and cooled onions, combine the mixture and drizzle with oil. Shape into 2-inch meatballs. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake meatballs about 18 minutes to light golden and cooked through.
Heat a large pot of water to boil for egg noodles.
For gravy, heat a skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, add butter and melt. When it foams, add the mushrooms and brown 7-8 minutes, then add onions and soften, season with salt and pepper, stir in flour and paprika, add sherry or wine, stock and Worcestershire, thicken a bit, add cream and sour cream, then lower heat and let gravy gently bubble.
Cook the egg noodles 1 minute less than directions on bag. Drain noodles and place back in hot pot and melt butter, add herbs and toss. Add a few ladles of gravy if you like.
Coat meatballs in gravy and serve over noodles.