Print
Belgian Celery Sauce Meatballs
Lovely meatballs in a creamy celery sauce, this is such a Belgian treat! A great alternative for the classic meatballs in tomato sauce.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 2
Calories per serving 840 kcal
Ingredients
- 13 oz meat mince (375 g)
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs or panko
- 2 medium garlic cloves chopped finely
- 2 tbsp onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup cream (120 ml)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 small shallot
- 2 stalks fresh celery chopped
- 1 glass dry white wine
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- pepper
- salt
Instructions
-
Add the shallot and half of the chopped garlic to a medium saucepan. Also add 2 bay leaves and a teaspoon of butter. Place the pan over medium heat. Cook the shallot and garlic until soft and a little golden. Season with a little pepper and salt.
-
Then take the pan off the heat and let this shallot mixture cool down fully. Transfer the meat mince to a large mixing bowl and add the cooled onion and garlic together with the egg yolk (remove the bay leaves).
-
Stir and add the breadcrumbs (or panko) and grated parmesan cheese. Season with a little pinch of pepper and salt.
-
Stir well again. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Then roll even balls from the mixture. Mine were 1 1/2 oz (45 g) and I had 10 of them in the end.
-
Melt half of the remaining butter in a large pan and add the meatballs. Place the pan over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides for a couple of minutes until a little golden.
-
Then remove them from the pan to a clean plate and cover with some tinfoil. Don’t wipe the pan clean! The browned bits will add extra flavor to out celery sauce. Add the remaining butter, chopped onion, remaining chopped garlic, 2 remaining bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
-
Gently brown the onion and herbs for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the chopped celery.
-
Stir the celery well and season with a pinch of salt. Let the celery braise for about 3 minutes. Pour in the white wine and the cream.
-
Then add the browned meatballs back to the pan.
-
Stir well and cover the pan with a lid. Let the meatballs and celery braise in the cream sauce for another 6 to 7 minutes. Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Scoop the meatballs and the creamy celery sauce onto warm deep plates, sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley and serve.