Chirpan-Style Meatballs
Juicy meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce with potatoes and fragrant herbs, Chirpan style.
Ingredients
| две тарелки two plates | meatballs |
| 2/3 мрежа/net | potatoes |
| 1 или 2 шалота / or 2 shallots | purple onion or shallots |
| 4 скилидки/cloves | cloves garlic |
| 1 | carrot |
| 2 с.л./tbsp | flour |
| 1 малка консервичка/small can | tomato paste |
| 1 с.л./tbsp | red pepper paste |
| — | parsley |
| — | basil |
| — | savory |
| — | celery |
| — | black pepper |
Instructions
- Make the meatballs the traditional way. However, instead of frying them you can boil them (you'll have absolutely no problem, as long as your mince is firm and not too soft).
- Potatoes — boiled hard in their skins. Let them cool, peel them and cut them into cubes.
- Put one medium onion and one larger carrot through the chopper so they are finely minced. Sauté them in a little oil until soft. Add one or two tablespoons of flour and stir vigorously until the flour lightly browns. (Personally, to be safe, I don't fry it; instead I tip it into boiling water and, whisking vigorously, beat it in well, add it to the dish and let it simmer — no more than 3-4 minutes.) Pour in between half a litre and one litre of hot water, depending on how thick a sauce you want. Let it simmer a little.
- Add one or two tablespoons of tomato paste and, accordingly, one teaspoon of sugar per tablespoon of tomato paste. Let it simmer gently for about five minutes.
- Add the potatoes and the meatballs and let them cook gently until the potatoes soften. At the end add the herb of your choice (I add basil).