serves
6-8
prep
10 minutes
cook
45 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
6-8
people
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
45
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) beef
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) pork
- 1 large onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 egg
- 60 g (2 oz) fresh or dry breadcrumbs
- ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp vegetable stock (bouillon) powder or 1 vegetable stock (bouillon) cube
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Bechamel sauce
- 100 g (31/2 oz) unsalted butter
- 80 g (23/4 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) full-cream (whole) milk
- 80 g (23/4 oz) grated mozzarella, plus extra for sprinkling
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
To serve
- Garden salad, mashed potato and/or avjar (see Note)
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Instructions
- Combine all the meatball ingredients, except for the oil, in a large bowl until evenly incorporated. Shape the mixture into meatballs about the size of golf balls. Place the meatballs on a plate and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until it starts to brown, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn it. Pour in the milk, stirring well to scrape any flour from the bottom and side of the pan. Once the mixture thickens, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the grated mozzarella and stir until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Once the meatballs are chilled, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and brown the meatballs for 1–2 minutes on all sides. Once browned, transfer the meatballs to an ovenproof dish, arranging them in rows.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
- Pour the bechamel sauce over the meatballs in the ovenproof dish. Top with extra mozzarella, then bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese forms a golden-brown crust on the meatballs.
- Serve with a garden salad, mashed potato and/or avjar.
Note
- This is traditionally served with mashed potato or a simple side salad. I like to throw some shredded cabbage in a bowl and toss it with a simple dressing of olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, apple-cider vinegar and salt and pepper.
- This dish also pairs resoundingly well with ajvar, the brilliantly biting Balkan dip, typically consisting of roasted red capsicums (bell peppers), eggplant (aubergine), garlic and chilli. Ajvar is easily found in most major grocers. You can also make it yourself, but an authentic version requires a fair investment of time and effort.
This is an edited extract from Around the World in 80 Meatballs by Bunny Banyai (Hardie Grant Books). Photography by Mark Roper.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
