Serves 6
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
500 gms minced beef
1 onion (grated)
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp parsley leaves (finely chopped)
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp pouring cream
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt + pepper
Method:
Mix all ingredients together, after beating egg with vinegar, cream and lemon juice. Make balls in the size of a medium-small lemon. Lay them in one layer in a slightly oiled non-stick oven pan and bake uncovered, in a moderate preheated oven of (220 degrees), until slightly browned; almost 20 minutes. Remove from oven and leave covered aside.
Creamy Mushroom Sauce:
250 gms fresh mushrooms (sliced)
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves (finely sliced)
1 tbsp fresh basil (finely shredded)
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup pouring cream
1/2 cup grated red tomatoes (skin discarded)
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Extra Parmesan (to sprinkle)
Butter + olive oil
Salt + pepper
Sauté onion and garlic in butter and oil mixture, only until translucent. Add mushroom and sauté until slightly browned. Add basil and stir until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Add grated tomato and cream. Stir until almost brought to a boil. Add grated Parmesan, stirring until cheese is melted. Add meatballs to sauce; just to heat mixture through; then serve immediately over a bed of spaghetti and extra Parmesan on top.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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