Baked Dutch Meatballs/ Запеченные Голландские Тефтели

This is a simple, yet tasty recipe of meatballs, that does not require a lot of ingredients...but the taste is so good!

When we were living in the Netherlands and travelling within the country...well, it's not like an entire trip...the country is so small that getting from north to south would take you 3 hours maximum. But what I wanted to say is that every time we where getting ready to go somewhere I always knew we would make a stop on the way to relax...yes, we would make a stop as well!:) and buy a big juicy meatball with mustard. Really! I loved them! Just those from a tank station. Very tasty! And our dog would get such a thin sausage every time, which he knew he would and was waiting for it every time..So everybody would be happy:) Oh, the Netherlands....happy country...

I always use lean beef whatever I make with it, so this recipe is a little bit lightened up. No excessive fat amounts, no butter or gravy either. And they are baked. Just a juicy meatball with a little bit crispy crust....with mustard...on bread or just like that!

700g lean minced beef
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large egg
70g bread crumbs
1 t.s. nutmeg - don't like nutmeg? add 2tb.s. mustard instead
1,5 t.s. paprika powder
salt and pepper to taste
butter...or olive oil

On oil cook chopped onion just until golden. In a large bowl mix minced beef, garlic, spices and egg. Add onion and bread crumbs. Now if the mixture is too moist add more crumbs, if it's too dry add some milk or maybe one more egg. With your wet hands make 8 large balls. Dutch meatballs are BIG, well, not like a tennis ball, but close:)
Heat some oil/butter on a pan and fry them from all sides until golden brown, around 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 150C. Bake meatballs on a tray or in a baking dish during 30-40 minutes.

Hachee- Dutch Beef Stew/Жаркое в Голландском Стиле

This dish is one of many variations of hearty stews with thick gravy, that are traditional in the Netherlands. Before real spring weather arrives this would be a good way to warm up and relax at the lunch time. Another similar Dutch fragrant stew is here.

For this fragrant, simple and satisfying dish you'll need:

app.700g beef escalopes
2-3 large (red) onions
4 cloves
3 bay leaves
50g butter
500ml beef stock
3 tb.s. red wine vinegar
1 tb.s. apple sauce
1x1cm thick slice of ontbijtkoek (dutch spiced breakfast cake) to thicken the gravy*
*can be substituted by adding 1,5tb.s. flour with a pinch of cinnamon, dry ginger and nutmeg and 1t.s. flower       honey

In a deep and heavy pan heat butter and add pieces of meat. Fry for about 10 minutes, then add sliced onions and cook for another 5 minutes. Add spices, vinegar and apple sauce and pour stock. Lower the heat and cook covered for about 2 hours (adding some water if needed).
At the end add crushed slice of cake)alternatively just flour to thicken) and serve with creamy potato mash and apple sauce.

Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Meatballs/Паста с Запеченой Тыквой и Тефтельками

This pasta is quite light as I replaced part of cheese with yogurt, and it came out still very tasty.

app.500g pumpkin, cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt, black pepper

250g ground beef
small onion
1 garlic clove
black pepper
salt
lemon juice
1 egg

Preheat oven to 190C. Place pumpkin pieces, onion wedges on baking dish, sprinkle with oil and vinegar, season and roast for about 30 minutes, at the end add garlic.

Mix all ingredients for the meatballs, form small balls and fry them from both sides on olive oil.

Cook pasta al dente, sprinkle with olive oil, add vegetables and about 1-2 t.s. yogurt per plate, sprinkle with Parmesan, preferred herbs (here dill) and serve with the meatballs!

Kokkinisto. Greek Beef Stew/Греческое Жаркое из Говядины

I think I got sick today, apparently a present from kindergarten.

Now, having this dish in my kitchen... let it rain outside, I'm skipping my running session and digging with a fork into this lovely stew! Mmm...
Great juicy meat, amazing flavours!

500g beef (goulash)
1 large onion
3 bay leaves
3 large tomatoes
1tb.s. tomato paste
some sugar
black pepper
some salt
4 grains allspice
100ml red wine
app.150ml water
1 stick or good pinch of cinnamon

On olive oil in thick pan fry (dry) meat pieces until golden, take them out. Put onion and fry 2-3 minutes, return meat, ad bay leaf and pour wine, wait until it evaporates, then add tomatoes (chopped), spices and tomato paste. Pour water, stir everything, wait until it begins to bubble, lower the heat to the lowest possible and cook 1,5-2 hours, until the meat is ready.
Serve with rice or potato.

Winter Stew/Зимние Тушеные Овощи с Говядиной

This is no fancy recipe, but when short on time, it's very helpful! This stew is also tasty, really warming dish.

300g minced beef
1 onion (cut in wedges)
2 carrots
3-4 large potatoes
100g garlicky sausage
app.150g canned peas
tabasco, several drops
black pepper
1t.s. grape molasses
chicken stock app.300ml
parsley

Cut potatoes, carrots. On olive oil cook minced beef with sausage until meat is not red any more, add onion, carrot and potato. Pour the stock, season to taste, add tabasco and molsases.
Simmer covered for about 30 minutes, add peas and parsley at the end.

Hearty tasty Shepherd's Pie/Домашняя Картофельная Запеканка

This recipe is kind of collection of different English cottage pie recipes, the most cosy and homely, I think:) This is exactly what is needed for long dark autumn-winter evenings.

4 large potatoes                                          
salt
full fat milk
300-400g minced beef
1 onion
2 carrots
black pepper
2tb.s. tomato paste
olive oil and butter
parsley
2 heaping tb.s thick yogurt or sour cream
worcestershire sauce or couple of drops of tabasco
                                                                                    sharp sheep cheese or cheddar

Cook potatoes. Mash them with just enough milk to make creamy puree.
On olive oil and butter fry onion and carrots, add beef and cook until the meat is browned, about 15 minutes. Add tomato paste, season and take away from the heat. Stir in yogurt, parsley and 3-4 tb.s. grated cheese.
Grease baking dis, transfer the meat and cover with mashed potatoes, level with a fork, sprinkle some cheese on top.
Cook for 30 minutes or until bubbly at 180C.

Green mash and beef burger

Green theme today. Children get really excited:) Really healthy meal, compromise between children menu and food for after sports for grown ups.

300g minced beef

2 garlic cloves

1 green bell pepper

1 small onion

red pepper powder

sea salt

thyme

Using hand blender puree all the ingredients, letting some of the veggies remain pieces.

fry on olive oil several minutes from both sides.

200g green peas

300g spinach

3 medium sized potatoes

some cream

1 garlic clove

curry

sea salt

black pepper

In a large pan boil potato first, adding (frozen) peas later and finishing with spinach at the end. Drain and add spices. Puree with hand blender adding cream to make it more smooth.

Stuffed aubergines mediterranian style

A very spicy, full of flavour dish. Serves hungry 2 or 4:)

2 big aubergines
400g minced beef
100g a bit smoked sausage
2 slices of bread (crumbs)
2 garlic cloves
2-3 tb.s. tomato juice
4 big and soft dried apricots (cut into small pieces)
1 egg
salt, black pepper, red pepper
small bunch of parsley
olive oil
sheep cheese

Preheat oven to 200C. Cut aubergines into halves, sprinkle with salt and oil, place them into shallow dish and bake until tender, bout 15 minutes. Combine all ingredients for the stuffing.
Take the aubergines out. Scrape the flesh out and cut it into small pieces, combine with the stuffing.
Full each half with the meat mass, grate some cheese on top and bake for about 25 minutes.

Pasticcio - baked tortiglioni with minced meat and vegetables

A very similar to lasagna, when you don't have lasagna pasta at hand. Just make sure you've got some tubular medium sized pasta.

app.300g pasta
1 can (400ml) peeled and diced tomatoes
2 small carrots
1 big garlic clove
1 small onion
100ml red wine
app.250g minced beef
salt, pepper, paprika
oregano
olive oil
app.250-300ml milk
some flour
parmesan

On some olive oil fry beef, add vegetables and simmer 3-5 minutes, add wine, wait until almost evaporated, ad tomatoes and season. Cook for about 7 minutes.
Cook pasta till al dente, grease small baking form, cover with bread crumbs, lay pasta on the bottom, atop with the sauce. Cook beshamel sauce- milk+flour+butter+parmesan. Pour over the dish.
Bake at 190C for 30 minutes.

Polpette in tomato sauce

Just a good baked meat ball recipe, easy to make and also not too heavy.

for 2:
500g minced beef
50g fresh white bread
70g bacon
2 garlic cloves
basil, oregano and thyme (better fresh and chopped)
app. 500ml tomato passata (tomato sauce of your choice)

Prepare 4 big meatballs, put them into 1 liter form, slightly brushed with olive oil, our tomato passata over them and bake for 30 minutes at 250C.
Serve with fresh salad and some parmesan.

Albondigas with rice and green beans

The recipe is from gourmet traveller. Full of flavour and very tasty spanish dish.

1 onion
4 garlic cloves
250g minced beaf (recipe calls for 50x50)
1 tb.s. of each: oregano, parsley
1 t.s. of each sweet paprika and cumin
small pinch of chilli
olive oil
2 big tomatoes
200g round rice
chicken stock
1 tb.s. sherry/ dry white wine
100g green beans

Mix minced meat with half an onion, 2 garlic cloves, half ammount of every herb and spice. Fry small balls on olive oil, set aside.
Add onion and garlic to the pan, tomatoes, herbs and spices, then rice, pour sherry and stock and cook for 10 minutes, then put beans and meat balls back and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
Serve with parsley

Mini meat pies with prune sauce

I was in a mood for prunes, but didnt want anything too sweet. So that is what came out of it.

 puff pastry sheets
300g minced beef
1 small red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
250ml beef stock
90ml red wine

Sauce:
150g prunes
app.150ml water
1 tb.s. sugar
lemon zest
juice of 0,5 lemon
cinnamon
some red wine

Cook onion, garlic and carrot on olive oil, add beef and cook until a bit golden, pour wine and wait, until it evaporates, then pour some stock. Season with pepper.
Oil muffin forms, cut pastry into squares, place each in every muffin form, then meanced meat, and cover with another piece of dough. Sprinkle with milk on top and bake at 180 for 25 minutes.
Take them out and serve with the sauce.
Sauce: cover prunes with water, add zest, cinnamon and juice and simmer, until they become soft and liquid evaporates. Let it cool, then blend and pour some wine to make it more liquid. Boil one more time, now it can be served.

Ground beef asian style

app.400g ground beef
2 bell peppers (green)
parsley
3 garlic cloves
2 tb.s. fresh ground ginger
beef stock
1 tb.s. soy sauce
chilli paste 1 t.s.
black pepper
red pepper

rice to go with

Cook beef until starts to turn brown, set aside. Add vegetables to the pan, cook for several minutes and return beef back to the pan. Pour stock (app. 200ml), soy sauce, chilli paste and season. Cook 5 more minutes.
Serve with cooked rice.

Beef with grapefruit gremolata

Nice and soft meat, though, grapefruit taste is not fo everyone...may be better to replace with orange.

500g beef (squares)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 grapefruit - zest and flesh without membranes
pinch of cinnamon
pinch on dried ginger
salt, pepper
olive oil
parsley
beef stock

Prepare gremolata- zest of grapefruit, parsley and garlic blend together or cut into very fine pieces.
Fry beef until light brown, add onion and garlic, then stock and cook further in the oven at 200C until done.
In the middle of the process add grapefruit flesh and gremolata to meat.
Serve.

Pepper Hash- light version

Recipe found on Martha Stewart site, we liked it a lot, it's easy to make, easy to digest and to enjoy:) Can be made with turkey, chicken or beef...whatever you prefer.

butter
onion small
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
2 medium potatoes
3 small bell peppers
200g mushrooms
300g ground turkey
some flour
50ml dry red wine
chicken stock
salt, pepper
chili powder
paprika flakes
parsley

On butter saute onion, garlic and carrot. Add potato cubes and cook for 8 min. Now add mushrooms and bell peppers.
After several minutes put turkey meat and sprinkle with flour, pour wine and when evaporated, add stock, season and simmer until done and thick. Serve with parsley.

Italian Style Ground Beef, Tomatoes and Eggplant dish/Говядина с Баклажаном и Помидорами в Итальянском Стиле

2 eggplants (slices)
1 medium onion
500-600gr grounded beef
3 cloves garlic
oregano, thyme, basil- 1 t.s. each
3 large tomatoes
2 tb.s. balsamic venigar
tomato paste and pepper paste, dissolved in 1 cup water
mint

Fry onion, add meat, wait, until brownish, add garlic, herbs and tomatoes. Cook for several minutes, season, add venigar and tomato paste water (half a cup).
Oven 190, place slices of eggplant in ovenproof dish, sprinkle with olive oil and bake until tender, 20 minutes. Now put meat with vegetables on top of eggplants and bake at 175C , sprinkle with some cheese on top, if desired.
When ready, serve with fresh mint.

Bobotie

South African national dish. I like trying new things, and this was also no dissapointment.
Quite easy to prepare.

500g meanced beef meat
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
butter
2 pieces of white bread, soaked in warm water
black pepper, salt
2 tb.s. raisins
curry powder
cinnamon
cloves to taste
1 tb.s.peach chutney (or pureed apple, some ginger, venigar and brown sugar- mix to taste)
2+2 bay leaves
150-200ml full fat milk + 1 large egg

Cook on butter onion and garlic couple of minutes, add meat, stir, wait until it is starting to color, add bread, chutney, spices, raisins, salt, pepper and 2 bay leaves. Cover and cook on small fire for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven 160C, grease ovenproof form, transfer meat, level it and pour egg-milk mixture over. Place 2 bay leaves on top and bake for about 30 minutes.

Beef with mustard and pears

I think this dish not only looks nice, it's delicious and healthy. Very suitable for winter dinner.

I took:

500g beefsteak meat (sliced)
mustard
salt pepper
butter
300ml red dry wine
2 tb.s. honey
3 cloves
apr.15ml gin
zest of 1/3 of lemon
cinnamon
salt, pepper
2 big pears (better take 4 small ones)

Cover meat with mustard, salt and pepper and place it in the plastic bag to marinade for 2-3 hours.
Bring to a boil wine with spices in a pan, place pears and cook for about 30 minutes, until pears are done, and still holding their shape. Cool. Take pears out and simmer wine until 1/3 is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake the meat from both sides on frying pan on butter until golden.
Preheat the oven 160C, place meat in ovenproof dish with all it's juices and bake for about 15 minutes, until done, pouring juice over the meat now and then.
Put pears back into wine and heat it up. Serve meat with pears, wine sauce and possibly some baked stripes of bacon.

Christmas meat pie

Though Im gonna serve it on New Years and it is frozen in the meanwhile, so I didn't cut it yet, but seems like it should be good, the fragrance is tempting.

Oven 175C

In a pan on some oil cook pieces of chicken(breast) until golden (apr.500gr). Set aside. On the same pan now fry 1 big onion.
In a bowl mix meanced meat (500g) with some smoked sausages, cut into small pieces. Add thyme, juice and zest of 1 lemon, handful of cranberries, some salt, pepper and I also used paprika. I put 1 apple (golden) cut into small squares.
In a greased springform put ready made layer of puff pastry, making sure it's enough to cover also the sides. Now put half of the meat inside, atop with chicken stripes and finish with meat again. Cover with another layer of pastry making sure there are not holes. Glaze with an egg.
Place into oven for 50-60 minutes. If you want you can freeze it after it has been cooled.

Beef asian style

Spicy meat with veggies - very nice combination, quite light but filling. And also I like the colors:)

500g beef, very thinly sliced
vegetable oil
broccoli apr. 300gr
leek 3 small sticks
soy sauce
1-2 t.s. sugar
some lime juice
1 green chilli
pinch of paprika flakes

First in wok or on pan fry meat pieces until they are ready, sprinkling some lime juice now and then (apr.10-15 minutes), take them out. Add oil and fry for a couple of minutes broccoli, leek and chilli. Add soy sauce and lime juice, paprika. Return meat and wait for a minute-two.
Serve!