“Hedgehogs” made from meat or meatballs, so familiar to all of us from childhood, are round cutlets of minced meat and rice. The meat in them is particularly tender, because it is usually passed through a meat grinder at least two times. This is probably one of the most favorite dishes of children, and their appearance meatballs resemble prickly hedgehogs. Rice is added to the minced meat, and when cooking rice grains stick out, like the needles of a hedgehog. The shape of meatballs is most often round, but rice is sometimes replaced with vegetables. The recipe for “hedgehogs from minced meat” becomes dietary if, instead of cereals, put, for example, chopped cabbage or zucchini cut into cubes.
This dish is prepared in different ways: meatballs are cooked in broth, stewed in sauce or baked in the oven. Minced meat for meatballs is taken differently - pork, beef, mixed, and hedgehogs from chicken minced meat can be given even to babies after a year. Gravy or sauce also varies among different housewives, some prefer cream-sour cream, others tomato. One thing remains unchanged: the recipe for “hedgehogs from minced meat” is hearty and homemade, it is easy and easy to prepare, and absolutely everyone likes it.
Cooking Meatballs
To cook meatballs we need:
- a pound of ground meat (approximately equally pork and beef);
- half a glass of rice (any, but better, of course, long-grain);
- a pair of garlic cloves and a pair of small onions;
- little carrot;
- one chicken egg;
- 150 grams of mayonnaise or sour cream;
- two tablespoons of tomato sauce;
- greens, salt, pepper, vegetable oil.
The recipe for “hedgehogs from minced meat” can be prepared both in the oven and stewed in a pan. If we are going to bake meatballs, then first you need to boil the rice until half ready. If we are stewing in a pan, then it is better to put the rice raw, so it will definitely look like the needles of a hedgehog. Prepare the minced meat, we pass both types of meat through a meat grinder, adding one onion and one clove of garlic. In the twisted minced meat we add an egg, a little salt and allspice, mix well. It’s even better to beat the minced meat: raising it, we force the minced meat back into the bowl, so it will become more uniform and it will be much easier to mold. After the minced meat is mixed, add rice to it and form the same neat round balls about 5 centimeters in diameter.
If we decided to bake hedgehogs, then the prepared rice and meat balls must be folded into a mold, having previously lubricated it with oil. Salted meatballs should be poured with a mixture of mayonnaise or sour cream, mixed with ketchup, and salt. It is worth noting that the hedgehogs should be filled with the sauce almost completely. Preheat the oven to at least 200 degrees, and set the mold for half an hour until a golden crust appears.
Another option for cooking meatballs is much more popular with many housewives, although it will take a little longer. Fry finely chopped onion, garlic and carrot in oil in a pan. When the vegetables are podgold, add to them a mixture of tomato sauce and sour cream (mayonnaise), boil everything together for several minutes. Put the finished sauce in a low wide saucepan and add a glass of water there, put on fire, let it boil. In boiling water we place the hedgehogs in one layer, it should turn out so that the sauce covers the meatballs by two-thirds. When boiling sauce with meatballs, you need to pour each hedgehog with sauce, reduce heat and leave to simmer under the lid for up to 40 minutes.
When the dish is ready, put a few pieces of butter on top on the hedgehogs and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh dill, cover with a lid and let it brew for 20 minutes.
When we put the hedgehogs on the plates, the home ones will probably run into the kitchen, having heard their mouth-watering aroma, and the children will be pleasantly surprised to see the sticking “needles” of rice.
The recipe for “hedgehogs from minced meat” is good both in baked and stewed form, it can be served with a side dish or as an independent dish. Gravy makes the hedgehogs juicy and home-style tasty, and the kids will certainly enjoy the funny look. Enjoy your meal!