Meatballs and mushroom sauce: Match made in kitchen heaven

Delicate poultry meatballs are often among the first meat dishes we serve to children. No wonder they later have a sentimental attachment to this dish. My kids have been enjoying meatballs with dill sauce since they were very young. Recently, I suggested a more flavourful sauce to them: the mushroom sauce.

Mushroom sauce is a great addition to many dishes. Its preparation is simple and requires only a few ingredients. Fresh mushrooms are the base, which, combined with broth and cream, create an aromatic sauce. It can be served with braised pork, buckwheat, or potato croquettes. Some people also use it for stuffed cabbage rolls, and in my opinion, it goes perfectly with meatballs. It's truly incredibly versatile.

The traditional recipe for mushroom sauce uses cream, but replacing it with mascarpone cheese is becoming increasingly popular. This gives the sauce a velvety texture and deep flavour. You can also add onion, garlic, thyme, or marjoram to it, but when cooking for children, it's better to limit the number of spices. However, it's definitely worth sprinkling the finished dish with finely chopped herbs.

Ingredients:

                                                  
• About 450 g of ground pork or poultry,
• 2 eggs,
• 1 stale roll previously soaked in milk,
• About 200 g of mushrooms,
• About 500 ml of broth,
• 1 bunch of dill,
• About 150 ml of 18% cream,
• Salt and pepper to taste,
• 1-2 cloves of garlic (optional),
• Flour for coating the mushrooms and meatballs,
• Your favourite spices: marjoram, paprika, or oregano to taste (optional),
• Oil and butter for frying,
• Parsley or dill for serving.

Preparation method:

                              
1. Place the ground meat in a bowl and add the squeezed roll soaked in milk, along with spices and pressed garlic. Mix the filling thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
2. With moistened hands, form meatballs from the meat. Coat each in flour.
3. In a preheated pan with a little oil, fry the meatballs on each side until they brown.
4. Prepare the sauce: rinse the mushrooms and slice them. Sauté them in melted butter. Season with salt and pepper at the end.
5. Dust the mushrooms with flour and stir thoroughly. Gradually pour warm broth onto the pan, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
6. Season the sauce to taste, cook it for a few minutes, and then place the meatballs into it.
7. Cover and cook the entire dish for about 30 minutes. Finally, mix in the cream, tempered with some of the sauce.
8. Serve the meatballs sprinkled with chopped parsley or dill. They taste great with buckwheat or potatoes.