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Two Ways with Meatballs
Here’s a basic meatball recipe followed by two very different sauces to serve them in. Both feed 3-4 people.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500g Wild and Game venison mince
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 slices white bread whizzed in a food mixer to make fine breadcrumbs
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried Italian herbs
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Fry the onion and garlic until soft
- Tip into a bowl and add the other meatball ingredients except the olive oil
- Stir until thoroughly combined
- Shape into balls
For the sauces
Venison meatball stroga-not
This skit on classic stroganoff transforms it into an Italian-style pasta sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 portion of meatballs as described above
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- Knob of butter
- A glug of olive oil
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100 ml brandy
- 1 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 2 generous tsp smoked paprika
- 500ml beef stock
- 300 ml soured cream
- 1 heaped tsp cornflour
- 75 g parmesan, finely grated
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until browned and fully cooked – about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from pan.
- Add a bit of butter and olive oil if extra fat is needed and fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft.
- Stir in the mustard and mix thoroughly.
- Add the brandy and cook for a few minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the smoked paprika and cook for a minute.
- Include the stock and then remove from the heat and stir in the soured cream
- Mix the cornflour with some water and stir into the sauce, heating it gently until it thickens
- Add the meatballs and cook gently for 5-10 minutes
- Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan.
- Add sugar and seasoning to taste.
- Serve with pasta of your choice – pappardelle is ideal.
Venison meatball marinara
Ingredients
- 1 portion of meatballs as described above
- 1 onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp mixed dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
Instructions
- Using the pan that you cooked the meatballs in, fry up the onion and garlic.
- Add the herbs, tomatoes, tomato puree and stock.
- Stir until combined.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes, adding a little more stock if needed.
- Add salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
- Serve with pasta of your choice – pappardelle works very well.