What are meatballs and how to cook them

The content of the article

• What is the difference between meatballs and cutlets
• Story
• How to make meatballs
• Minced meat
• From cereals and potatoes
• Chicken Sauce
• What is served with
• Cricket Recipe
• Pork
• Minced meat
• Fish
• Chicken with mushrooms
• Rice
• Semolina with berry sauce
• From potato

In Russia, chops, which are prepared mainly from boneless meat tenderloin, are called meatballs or cues. They came from French cuisine, where they are called medallions. Gradually, chopped meat or minced meat began to be used as the main ingredient due to the lack of a cue cut suitable for cues. Dishes not from meat, but from cereals or potatoes, but cooked in a round shape and fried in vegetable oil, are also called chops.

What is the difference between meatballs and cutlets

Culinary specialists have a confusion between the concepts of meatballs and cutlets. Cutlets are formed in the form of an oval, with pointed ends and slightly flattened, and the shape of the meatballs is closer to round. There is a difference in the method of preparation. When the cue balls are fried until golden, they are put in a saucepan or stewpan, poured with sauce and simmer over low heat until cooked: they do not fall apart, do not deform when extinguished. With cutlets, the opposite is true: they are fried until a crust appears, if necessary, put in a preheated oven until cooked.

Story

Cue-cakes originate in France: there they began to be prepared in the 18th century and were called medallions. In Russia they were renamed. Initially, the dish was a round chop made from meatless tenderloin. In the 19th century it was replaced with chopped round patties, as for them, the type of meat did not play a big role: they were prepared from lamb, beef, pork, chicken and even minced fish.

Later they began to add vegetables, cereals, potatoes, mushrooms (or replace them with meat). This recipe came to the rescue of housewives in the years of food shortages, when it was necessary to create a delicious dinner from virtually nothing. The remnants of yesterday’s dinner, salads, and roast sauce were used. For cooking, you only need an egg (to hold the ingredients together) and a little flour or semolina for breading.

How to make meatballs

The main component of classic meatballs is minced meat, the choice of which should be taken seriously. It’s easier to buy it in a store, but there is a chance to get to unscrupulous manufacturers who can use stale meat and lard. Buying meat for minced meat yourself, you can see the condition of the product, its fat content. Preference should be given to soft parts – neck.

Minced meat for chicken and fish cues is also recommended to cook independently from fresh ingredients. For the preparation of cues from potatoes or cereals, it is perfectly acceptable to use the remains of lunch or dinner – semolina, rice porridge, and vegetable puree. For a thick sauce for culinary products, you can use sour cream, cream, tomato paste or juice, vegetables, mushrooms. For sweet dishes – berries, fruits, chocolate, vanillin, milk.

Fry the cue ball is best in a pan or in a skillet with non-stick coating, in vegetable oil. You can use a double boiler to cook not only tasty, but also healthy cues, and to get a brown crust without frying in a pan, bake in an oven on a greased baking sheet. In the cooking process, a multi-cooker can help, where the products can be fried, baked, stewed and steamed.

Minced meat

To prepare the meatballs, you can choose any kind of meat or fish as the main ingredient. You can’t name the only correct recipe for cooking, there are a huge number of them. Stuffing for meatballs must be beaten off so that it keeps its shape better. To do this, you need to mold a small ball out of the minced meat (like a ball) and hit the table or the bottom of the bowl 10-15 times.

Stuffing can be purchased at the store, but it is better to cook it yourself from fresh, proven raw materials. For the preparation of meatballs (beef, pork, chicken) or minced fish, mix with spices, chopped onions and wheat bread. Fashion neat round meatballs that need to be rolled in breadcrumbs and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Then pour the sauce into which you can add cream, sour cream, tomato, mushrooms, flour or cheese.

From cereals and potatoes

Cereals are a very healthy, dietary, sometimes even vegetarian food. As a basis, you can use any cereals, legumes: buckwheat, rice, pearl barley, millet, oatmeal, barley, wheat, corn porridge, peas, lentils. Each of these ingredients is healthy and contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. As binders, you can use eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, starch, potatoes, cheese, yeast bread soaked in water.

Sometimes groats are called “fake meatballs” because of their resemblance to meatballs. To prepare such a dish, cereals must first be cooked until cooked. Mix with the rest of the ingredients, knead thick minced meat, and form round cues of a rounded shape. Such blanks must necessarily be rolled in breadcrumbs or semolina, so they will hold on better, not fall apart. The sauce for such a dish can be prepared any, for example, creamy or mushroom.

You can boil the potatoes or use the rest of the mashed potatoes. In addition to the main ingredient, you will need eggs, spices and breadcrumbs. Cuts are formed from thick minced meat, which are fried on two sides in vegetable oil until a golden crust is formed..

Chicken Sauce

Properly prepared and selected sauce for meatballs will help to make the dish tastier. The variety of sauces will not leave indifferent any gourmet – it can be spicy, spicy, fragrant, delicate creamy gravy for savory dishes, and berry, fruit, vanilla and chocolate dressings are prepared for dessert cues. For meatballs from meat, fish, cereals or potatoes, such sauces are prepared:

• Tomato
• sour cream with mushrooms, with cheese or garlic;
• creamy;
• cranberry;
• cheese and others.

To sweet cue ball serve:

• vanilla;
• milk or creamy;
• chocolate;
• fruit;
• berry;
• cinnamon;
• caramel and other sauces.

What is served with

Chops are a simple, tasty and satisfying dish. Sweet items are served as a stand-alone dish for dessert or breakfast. Favorite cereals and vegetables can be served as a side dish to unsweetened meat and fish cues:

• mashed potatoes;
• boiled cereals;
• vegetable salads;
• pasta;
• boiled or baked vegetables, stews;
• legumes;
• potato “rustic” or “fries”;
• casserole with mushrooms and cheese.

Cricket Recipe

As a side dish for any cue ball, it is recommended to use simple dishes that do not have a pronounced taste. Vegetables in any form go well with products from any meat – raw, pickled, baked, steamed, boiled. Different types of cue ball have found their application in the kitchens of the world, where they underwent changes and additions. In the USA, cues are made from crab meat; in England and Hungary, from potatoes. French medallions have many analogues around the world, with their cooking secrets.

Pork

• Time: 60 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4-5 Persons.
• Calorie content: 235 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: medium.

Meatballs are one of the simplest dishes of European cuisine. A step-by-step recipe with a photo will tell you how to cook pork meatballs tasty and appetizing. If you cook them from homemade stuffing, then they will turn out to be very tender, juicy and satisfying. Sauerkraut is perfect as a side dish, which perfectly complements and sets off the taste.

Ingredients:

• pork pulp – 350 g;
• lard – 50 g;
• wheat bread – 100-150 g;
• milk – 100 ml .;
• eggs – 1 pc.;
• onions – 1-2 pcs.;
• cream – 100 ml .;
• breadcrumbs – 50 g;
• vegetable oil – 50 ml .;
• salt, black pepper – to taste.

Cooking method:

1. For the preparation of minced meat, it is recommended to choose a neck. It must be washed and dried with a paper towel. Cut into small pieces to fit in a meat grinder. Do the same with fat.
2. Peel the onion, cut into small segments.
3. Soak the slices of bread in milk.
4. Skip pork, lard, onion, bread through a meat grinder.
5. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, add spices, eggs. Knead dense uniform minced meat.
6. From the resulting mass, form rounded cues, roll in breadcrumbs.
7. Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Fry products one at a time until golden brown.
8. Fold in a saucepan, add cream, simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Minced meat

• Time: 60 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 10 Persons.
• Calorie content: 250 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: medium.

Minced meat for the dish can be chosen any – pork, beef, chicken, turkey or a mixture, here you can be guided by personal preferences. In the recipe with the photo, only salt and pepper are indicated as spices, but spices can be added at your discretion: basil, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, coriander, marjoram and others. Finished products must be fried in breadcrumbs, you can replace them with semolina.

Ingredients:

• minced meat – 1000-1200 g;
• onions – 2-3 pcs.;
• oat flakes – 50 g;
• salt, black pepper, spices – to taste;
• flour – 1 tbsp;
• cream – 150 ml.

Cooking method:

1. Add onion and oatmeal to the prepared minced meat.
2. Season with spices to taste.
3. Knead dense, uniform minced meat.
4. Form round cues of the same size from it.
5. Fry on both sides in vegetable oil until golden brown.
6. Put in a stewpan.
7. In a pan where the cue ball was fried, fry the finely chopped onion.
8. Add flour, pour cream in a minute. Boil for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
9. Pour the cue ball with sauce, simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Fish

• Time: 75 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 10 Persons.
• Calorie content: 250 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: medium.

Fish cakes can be prepared from pike, zander, trout, cod, pollock, and even from mackerel or herring. If the fish is too bony, then it must be passed through a meat grinder two or three times, then the minced meat will turn out to be more tender, homogeneous, but also dense. For a better bunch, you can add a teaspoon of starch to the mass, or rub raw potatoes.

Ingredients:

• pollock – 600 g;
• zander – 300 g;
• onions – 1-2 pcs.;
• long loaf – 100-150 g;
• milk – 200 ml .;
• egg – 1-2 pcs.;
• salt, black pepper – to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Soak the baton in water or milk for 5 minutes. Wring out.
2. Twist fish, loaf and onion through a meat grinder.
3. Add eggs and spices to the mass. Knead until smooth.
4. Wet hands to form the meatballs. Put on a greased baking sheet.
5. Bake at 200 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
6. Pour milk into a mold, simmer in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Chicken with mushrooms

• Time: 50 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 3-4 Persons.
• Calorie content: 140 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: medium.

Tender chicken meat goes well with mushroom flavor and aroma. The finished dish is recommended to be served with a creamy sauce, but you can replace it with another. Fried lovers make a dish in a pan, but it is better to cook it in the oven, and five minutes before being ready to sprinkle with semi-hard cheese, pour cream or sour cream, sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil. As an alternative – you can stuff chicken cue balls with mushrooms, and not add to minced meat.

Ingredients:

• chicken fillet – 500 g;
• mushrooms – 350 g;
• eggs – 1-2 pcs.;
• flour – 5 tbsp;
• salt, spices – to taste;
• cream or sour cream – 200 ml .;
• water – 100 ml.

Cooking method:

1. Wash mushrooms, if necessary, peel, finely chop. Set aside half for making sauce.
2. Rinse, dry the chicken fillet, pass through a meat grinder.
3. In a bowl, mix the minced chicken, egg, half flour, mushrooms, spices. Knead until smooth.
4. Form a round cue ball, roll in flour.
5. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Put in a pan.
6. To prepare the sauce, mix water, cream, mushrooms and salt. Boil.
7. Pour chicken meatballs, simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat.

Rice

• Time: 40 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 3-4 Persons.
• Calorie content: 95 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: medium.

Rice cues can be made as sweet as spicy, salty, spicy. This cereal goes well with other ingredients – cheese, mushrooms, cream, vegetables, eggs, herbs. If you have culinary experience and imagination, you can experiment with this ingredient, add new products. Inexperienced housewives are advised to follow a step-by-step recipe with a photo in order to prepare delicious dietary chicken balls from rice..

Ingredients:

• boiled rice – 350 g;
• fresh spinach – 50 g;
• sweet onion – 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil – 1 tbsp;
• water or milk – 0.5 tbsp .;
• butter – 30 g;
• salt, black pepper – to taste.

Cooking method:

1. In pre-boiled rice, add onion, salt, and spices passed through a meat grinder. Knead a homogeneous mass.
2. Wet hands to give the product a rounded shape.
3. Fry each of them on both sides in vegetable or butter until a golden color is obtained..
4. Fold in a pan, pour milk or water, simmer for 5 minutes, add a slice of butter.
5. Serve with boiled spinach.

Semolina with berry sauce

• Time: 60 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4-5 Persons.
• Calorie content: 140 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for breakfast, for lunch.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: medium.

Sweet semolina balls are an excellent breakfast that will give strength and energy. The main feature of the dish is the supplement in the form of a thick berry sauce, which can be prepared on the basis of currants, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries. To make the gravy thick, it is recommended to use corn starch, but if it is absent, you can replace it with potato.

Ingredients:

• milk – 500 ml .;
• chicken egg – 1 pc.;
• semolina – 100 g;
• flour – 5 tbsp;
• butter – 50 g;
• water – 500 ml .;
• corn or potato starch – 5 tsp;
• blueberries – 150 g;
• salt, vanillin, sugar – to taste;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp;
• breadcrumbs – 35 g.

Cooking method:

1. Bring the milk to a boil, pour the semolina into a thin stream, stirring constantly. Add a pinch of salt, sugar and vanillin to taste. Boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cool.
2. To the cooled mass add the egg, butter, half the flour. Knead a homogeneous thick mass.
3. Wet balls with wet hands, roll them in flour or breading mixture.
4. Fry them on both sides in vegetable oil until golden brown.
5. Sort and rinse the blueberries. Grind with a blender, mortar, grinder or rub through a sieve. In a saucepan, mix the berries, water and sugar. Boil.
6. In a separate bowl, mix a little water and starch so that there are no lumps. Pour in a thin stream to the blueberry mass, stirring constantly. Boil for 3-5 minutes, remove from heat and cool.
7. Put the meatballs in a saucepan, pour the sauce, insist 30 minutes before serving.

From potato

• Time: 35 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 3-4 Persons.
• Calorie content: 145 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian, European.
• Difficulty: Easy.

If after dinner there is an excess of mashed potatoes, then for breakfast you can please your family with an unusual, simple, but tasty food. It will take a minimum of time and effort to prepare it. All that is needed to implement the recipe is mashed potatoes, eggs, butter, favorite spices and spices, herbs to taste. From the resulting mass with wet hands you need to form balls.

Ingredients:

• mashed potatoes – 500 g;
• breadcrumbs – 50 g;
• butter – 30 g;
• salt, spices – to taste;
• eggs – 2-3 pcs.;
• fresh herbs – 50 g;
• garlic to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Mix eggs and spices in mashed potatoes.
2. Peel and pass the garlic through a press, add to the mass.
3. Grind greens, add to mashed potatoes.
4. Wet balls with wet hands, roll them in breadcrumbs.
5. Fry on both sides in a hot frying pan greased with butter.
6. Serve with sour cream or cream sauce.