Meatballs for a crowd?

Amarante

Wed, Mar 20 2024, 9:33 pm

Scale up for the amount of meat you have

ALBONDIGAS AL BUYOR - GREEK-JEWISH MEATBALLS IN A SWEET-AND-SOUR SAUCE

Excerpt From: Judi Rose - 100 Best Jewish Recipes

SERVES 4

KEEPS FOR 4 DAYS IN THE FRIDGE | FREEZES FOR 3 MONTHS

FOR THE MEATBALLS

2 large egg
1 slice white or brown bread, 2.5cm/1in thick and torn into pieces
½ small onion
½ tsp salt
7 grinds of black pepper
1½ tsp dark soy sauce
1 large sprig of parsley
500g/1½ lb raw minced beef
1 tbsp flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

FOR THE SAUCE

1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
10 grinds of black pepper
3 tbsp brown sugar or 2 tbsp clear honey
2 tsp Dijon or English mustard
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
150g/5oz tomato purée, diluted with 225ml/8fl oz water

For the basic meatballs, mix the eggs, bread torn into pieces, onion, seasonings and parsley in a food processor for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Mix the raw meat and the egg mixture with your hands or a large fork until smoothly blended. Leave for 30 minutes.

With wet hands, shape the mixture into patties or balls, and cook as required.

Put the seasoned flour on to a piece of paper, and dip each patty into it. Shake off any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan for 4 minutes, put in the meatballs and fry steadily until they are a rich brown on both sides.

To make the sauce, remove the fried meatballs, and in the same fat, sauté the onion until golden. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place the meatballs in a casserole, pour over the sauce and cover. Either simmer on the top of the stove for 30 minutes or bake in a slow oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 for 45 minutes.

Amarante

Wed, Mar 20 2024, 9:39 pm

These are appetizer type finger food served with a tooth pick

Pastrami is because the spice mix is like what you would use for pastrami and they are served on little pieces of rye bread like a pastrami sandwich

Pastrami Meatballs - Source - Molly Yeh

Yield: 50 to 55 appetizers

Ingredients

Cooking spray, for the baking sheets
Olive oil, for cooking
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ground beef (I like to use 90/10, but any combination will do here)
1 loaf sliced rye bread, cut into about 2-inch squares
Brown deli mustard, for serving
Pickle chips, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add olive oil to coat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until no longer hot to the touch.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup water in a large bowl. Allow to sit until the breadcrumbs are soaked through, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, parsley, mustard powder, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, coriander, liquid smoke, allspice, cloves, ginger and some black pepper.

Mix to combine, then add the ground beef. Mix until thoroughly combined; I like to use my hands to make sure that everything is evenly incorporated. Form 1-ounce balls, a little bigger than 1 inch in diameter, and place on the prepared baking sheets spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake until cooked through and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, spread rye squares on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Top each toast with a squirt of brown mustard (about 1/2 teaspoon or as desired), 1 meatball and 1 pickle chip. Hold it all together with a toothpick and serve!

Last edited by Amarante on Wed, Mar 20 2024, 11:03 pm; edited 2 times in total

Amarante

Wed, Mar 20 2024, 10:50 pm

amother OP wrote:

Wow! This looks amazing!
What would you do for the rye bread? Buy a loaf of sliced bread and cut into squares?

Oops I see I cut off the rye bread ingredients when I pasted so I just added it along with mustard and pickle.

You can follow the instructions and cut the rye bread into squares like you do for canapés or some stores actually sell little rounds of bread that can be use for canapés or tea sandwiches. But slicing doesn’t take very long because you can slice through several slices at once when you make the squares.