Tamari

Prepare the meatballs:

Prepare the panade – two ways:

If using breadcrumbs: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients and any side dishes (this is a good time to peel potatoes, for example). This is my preference, as I always have dried breadcrumbs at home but rarely stale bread rolls.

If using dry bread or bread rolls: Soak the bread for about 20 minutes, or until completely soft, turning it once (you don't have to remove the rind). Then squeeze out the excess milk with your hands – the bread should be damp but not dripping. Mash it with a fork until mostly broken up, but it doesn’t need to be completely smooth. Remove any firm clumps that haven’t softened.

Prepare the onions: There are two common methods, depending on your preference:

- You can add raw grated onion directly to the meat mixture (my preferred method), or- Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of butter for 5–10 minutes, until soft and lightly golden.

If using raw onion, grate it on the large holes of a box grater.

Prepare the meat mixture for the meatballs:

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl: ground meat, raw grated or sautéed onion, finely chopped garlic, panade, eggs, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well until everything is thoroughly combined.

Shape the meatballs:

Scoop the mixture using a 3-tablespoon ice cream scoop, then shape into balls with your hands. Roll each meatball in flour to coat all sides. Set aside on a plate.

Cook the meatballs:

Heat clarified butter (or oil) in a large frying pan. Add half of the meatballs and brown them on two or three sides, but don’t cook them through. Two spoons work well for turning the meatballs. Once browned, transfer to a plate and repeat with the second batch.

Simmer the meatballs in broth:

Add hot broth to the pan and bring it to a boil. Add the meatballs and simmer them over low heat for about 7 minutes, or until their internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C). The broth should come up most of the way around the meatballs, but doesn’t need to fully cover them. Once cooked through, transfer the meatballs to a plate.

The meatballs are ready—now choose one of the sauce recipes to serve them with. The base for the sauce will be the broth in which the meatballs were simmered.

Make the sauce:

If you used a very large frying pan to cook the meatballs, you can also use it to make the sauce. However, if your pan is medium-sized, it may be too small to fit both the meatballs and the sauce (this recipe makes a lot), so it’s better to use a pot instead. You can refer to the photos in the body of the post for reference.

Sour cream mushroom sauce:

Simmer the broth for about 7 minutes over medium-high heat to reduce it.

Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms, dice the onion, and finely chop the garlic.

Strain the broth into another bowl or pot. (Straining is optional but results in a cleaner sauce. I ended up with about 2¾ cups of broth after reducing.)

Wipe the pan with a paper towel (You can also cook the mushrooms in a separate pan, but I prefer it to make the sauce in the same pan). Add clarified butter or oil and heat over high heat. Add the mushrooms in an even layer. Don’t stir for the first 2–3 minutes to allow them to brown. Then stir, add the onion, and cook for a few more minutes until both the mushrooms and onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Pour the broth back into the pan and bring it to a boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour. Gradually add about ¾ cup of the hot broth from the pan, whisking constantly. Then add the mixture back into the pan. Stir until combined, bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute (longer if the sauce is still too thin).

Season with Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.

Stir in the chopped parsley and remove from heat. Add the meatballs to the sauce (reheat briefly if they’ve cooled down). Serve and enjoy!

Dill sauce:

Simmer the sauce over medium-high heat for 7 minutes to reduce it.

In a small bowl, stir the flour with the heavy cream until smooth. Whisk in about 1/3 cup of the hot broth, then add the mixture to the pan.

Add the mustard and lemon juice. Cook a little longer if the sauce is too thin.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the chopped dill.

When the sauce is ready, add the meatballs to the sauce (reheat briefly if they’ve cooled down). Serve and enjoy!

Tomato sauce:

Strain the broth into another pot or bowl. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.

Dice the onion and finely chop the garlic.

Heat the butter in the pan, then add the onion and cook for 5–8 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and oregano, and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Add the broth back to the pan along with the tomato passata and sugar.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. I like to blend the sauce with a hand blender until almost smooth, but this step is optional.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.