Discover the recipe of Tefteli, Russian meatballs of meat and rice

Today I bring you a recipe of homemade meatballs of meat and rice of Russian origin, known as Tefteli. These are cooked in tomato sauce and can be served with a mashed potato as a garnish , or eaten alone. They are made with beef, although you can make them if you wish with lamb meat and / or pork. The Tefteli meatballs were a dish of humble origin that served to warm and tone Russian stomachs in cold weather. I assure you that they are super rich and nobody will be able to resist them!

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 kilo of minced beef
• 250g of cooked white rice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 eggs
• Salt and black pepper ground to taste

For the sauce

• 500g of crushed tomato
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tablespoon wheat flour
• 200c.c. of beef broth or vegetable broth
• 100c.c. of white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh chopped parsley c / n
• Olive oil c / n
• Cumin c / n
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

Elaboration step by step

1. To prepare the sauce where you are going to cook the meatballs , place the onion, the garlic cloves and the red pepper peeled and cut into small pieces in a frying pan or pot together with the peeled and crushed garlic cloves.
2. Add some olive oil or the one you have at home and cook on the fire until they have softened.
3. Add the flour and stir well with the help of a wooden spoon so that no lumps are formed.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, the white wine, the beef or vegetable stock, the bay leaves and the cumin. Bring the sauce to the fire until it boils. Remove every so often.
5. Salt to taste and add sugar. Diminishes the fire and covers. Let cook for 5-10 minutes.
6. To make the Russian meatballs and rice , you must mix the minced meat in a bowl with the cooked rice, the eggs and the peeled and chopped garlic cloves.
7. Mix very well with the help of a spoon or with your hands and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Go forming balls of approximately 5cm in diameter and pour them into the hot sauce.
9. Cook the tefteli for 45 minutes over medium heat and when ready, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or fresh dill.

Serve the tefteli with mashed potatoes and enjoy. If you liked this recipe, you may also be interested in step by step to learn how to make chicken meatballs in barbecue sauce .