International Meatball Day: the birth of preparation and the best recipes

The birth of meatballs is another such question wrapped in captions and some documented details. However, the best-known version of this preparation which has been around the world and known in every corner is the one which has as its protagonist Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Caliph and Lord of Istanbul.

As detailed, in the middle of a day of hunting, the horse he was riding was scared after a snake pierced his legs, causing the rider to fall. Such was the bad luck that his mouth hit a stone square, a fact that caused him to lose most of his teeth. So Roxelana, wife of the now toothless sultan of the Ottoman Empire, ordered that in Topkapi Palace, only food that could be chewed be served with the few teeth she had left.

Eggplants stuffed and minced meat in different ways were part of each of these dishes. And one particular preparation is the one that has definitely transcended: as simple as a ball of minced meat, the classic Turkish köfte. The dish was quickly adopted by different countries and in each its name and its preparation were changing. In Arabia, for example, it is called “al-bundunga”, “hazelnut”, because of its characteristic format and it is they who presented the dish in Europe. Upon his arrival in Spain, his name became “meatball”, and even the historian of Granada Luis del Mármol has already documented the term in his work of 1573, Overview of Africa: “They sell noodles, almojábanas and meatballs made from minced meat with spices and fried in oil.”

Beef, lamb, chicken and as many endless variations as you can imagine, meatballs are definitely a cold dish. Four of the most prominent chefs present exclusively to Infobae the preparations that take this dish to a higher level.

Gardener’s meatballs

(By Doña Petrona)

Ingredients

Minced beef, 250gr

Minced pork, 200gr

French bread, 1

Milk, c / n

Eggs, 2

Salt, pepper and nutmeg, c / n

Procedure

Place the minced meats, milk-soaked breadcrumbs, oil, eggs and seasonings in a bowl. Link. Pass a cloth cut into pieces in lukewarm water, and in each put a spoonful full of the preparation, wrap it with the cloth and put the meatballs in a saucepan in which a mattress of vegetables of different kinds, cut into cubes. Add a ladle of broth, season with a little salt, cover the pan and cook in an oven at regular temperature. It is served with vegetables.

MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

By Milton Bertoni, (@BiasattiOK)

Ingredients (for 24 units)

Minced meat, 1kg

Pan lactal, 200gr

Parmesan, 150gr

Garlic, 2 cloves, grated

Chopped parsley, 50gr

Milk, ½ liter

Tomato pulp (good quality), 2 ½ L

Eggs, 2 or 3u

Harina, c / n

Sal, c / n

Pepper, c / n

Olive oil, c / n

Sage leaves c / n

Procedure

Soak the breadcrumbs with milk, it is recommended to do this the night before. On the other hand, in a bowl, place the minced meat, the chopped parsley, the grated garlic cloves (or very small cut), the Parmesan, the soaked breadcrumbs and the ground pepper. Unite and knead all the ingredients very well until you obtain a homogeneous preparation. Then add the eggs, salt, mix and let stand in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour covered with plastic wrap.

Make balls of about 40gr each, place them on a plate and put them in the freezer for 40 minutes, then pass them in the flour. In a saucepan with olive oil and sage leaves, seal all the meatballs. Once golden, add the tomato pulp and bay leaves to taste. Cook for about 4 hours over medium heat. Adjust with salt and pepper.

POTATO AND EGGPLANT MEATBALLS

(By Inti David, @veggiesalpoder)

Ingredients

Eggplants, 2

Olive oil, c / n

Salt and seasonings, c / n

Mashed potatoes, 300 gr

Herbs (parsley, basil, pepper …), c / n

Ultra-fine or instant oatmeal, 4 tbsp

Breadcrumbs for coating

Procedure

Cut the eggplants in half (lengthwise) and mark the pulp with a knife for better cooking. Bring the eggplants in half to a strong oven, with olive oil, salt and seasonings to taste for about 30/40 minutes until the pulp is tender. Transfer the eggplants to a bowl and barely process them with a blender to loosen the skin a little and obtain a rustic puree. Mix with the mashed potatoes, add the herbs (I used a mixture with parsley, basil, pepper …) and extra fine or instant oats. Form the meatballs and coat them (in my case I used breadcrumbs, oats, seeds and herbs. But you can only use breadcrumbs.). Brown in the oven for 20 minutes maximum. Optional, but delicious: top with sauce, cheese and gratin for an additional 10 minutes.

SPINACH AND OATS MEATBALLS

(By Daniela Espindola, @funcionalnutricion)

Ingredients (for 10 units)

Raw processed spinach, 1 cup

Water, c / n

Processed oats, ½ cup

Grated cheese, 5 tbsp

Chopped onion, 1

Salt, oregano, pepper, provençal and oregano, c / n

To coat: oat bran and oatmeal.

Procedure

Cook the Teflon-treated spinach with the onion. Salt and pepper. Add the oatmeal and mix until the mixture comes together well, cook over low heat. Add the required amount of water. A viscous semi-liquid should form. Add the grated cheese, mixing well. Remove from the heat. Let cool.

Form medium balls with your hands or an ice cream scoop. Coat with oats if they are wet or with a mixture of eggs and oats if they are dry. Bake in a non-stick non-stick pan for approx. 5-6 minutes at medium temperature. Serve with a good tomato sauce and there is a delicacy!

SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS

(By Danilo Ferraz, @ hellspizza.ar)

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

Spaghetti, 500 gr

Res minced meat, 300 gr

Ground pork, 300 gr

White onion, 1 unit

Olive oil, 100 cc

Bay leaves, 2 units

Sal, c / n

Pepper, c / n

Garlic cloves, 3 units

Breadcrumbs, 100 gr

White wine, c / n

For the sauce

Ripe fresh tomatoes, 1 kg

Carrot, 1 unit

Onion, 1 unit

Oregano, 10 gr

Sal, 30 gr

Pepper, 5 gr

Sugar, 50 gr

Bay leaf, 1 unit

Procedure

In a bowl, place the beef, pork and season to taste. Then place a pan on medium heat, add olive oil, white wine, onion cut into brunoise and minced garlic. Then add the sautéed vegetables to the meats, as well as the breadcrumbs. Knead until a homogeneous and easy to handle mixture is obtained. Divide the mixture into spheres of meat of 60 grams each and seal them in a saucepan with olive oil, turning them so that they cook evenly.

For the sauce: Cut the ripe tomatoes and place them in a saucepan to form a sauce. Add the carrot and onion cut into brunoise. Add salt, sugar and oregano and simmer for 1 hour.

In a saucepan filled with boiling water, place the spaghetti and cook for 15 minutes. Once this time has elapsed, remove the pot from the heat and filter until all the water is removed. Then, incorporate the meatballs into the sauce so that they finish cooking. Then add the spaghetti. Finally, serve on a plate and garnish with the grated Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and a few leaves of fresh basil.

TEXTURED SOYBEAN AND BROWN RICE BALLS

(By Lucila Calabrese, @nutrisaludbsas)

Ingredients (for 10 units)

Textured soybeans, 1 taza.

Hot water, 2 cups.

Uncooked brown rice, 1 well.

Nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp.

Oat bran, 5 tbsp.

Garlic, 1 clove.

Paprika, nutmeg, tarragon, salt and pepper, c / n.

Tomato sauce.

Verdeo.

Procedure

Place the textured soybeans in a bowl and let it hydrate for 20 minutes with hot (boiling) water. If there is water left, strain and set aside.

On the other hand, cook the rice in boiling water, filter and set aside. Then place the textured soybeans with the seasonings and mix well in the blender.

Finally, mix the soybean paste with the rice, nutritional yeast, green beans and bran. Make balls and place them on a plate with a little oil and in the oven for 20 minutes. And ready! Toss with your favorite tomato sauce, place another small green onion and yeast on it to decorate.

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