While you’re probably not making this dish for its health benefits, it does have a lot of nutritional oomph. One serving will give you nearly half your daily ration of B vitamins, plus a healthy dose of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron. It’s also low-carb, full of protein and, if you take care when plating, it can be surprisingly elegant. It’s a win/win/win dinner.
Beef Bourguignon Meatballs
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
- 1 t fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 C rolled oats
- 1/4 t salt
- 2 t extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 C minced shallots (substitute onions if shallots not available)
- 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 t pepper
- 1 T cornstarch
- 4 T water
- 2 pounds Boston burger (half ground beef, half ground pork — if not available you can use ground beef)
- 1 ½ C beef stock
- 5 ounces dry red wine
To make:
Combine the meat, oats, garlic, chopped thyme, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl and mix well. (Well-scrubbed hands are actually the best tool for this job.) Form the mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, preferably non-stick, skillet. Add meatballs (you may have to cook them in batches), leaving room on all sides to turn them as they brown. Brown them on one side, turn them over, and brown them on the other side; repeat on the two unbrowned sides. When they’re done, transfer them to a clean plate and drain the excess grease from the pan. Don’t scrape the pan; leave any brown bits stuck to the bottom.
Add the beef stock and return the pan to the heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom, then add the wine, onion, mushroom, and thyme sprigs. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Combine the cornstarch and water in a bowl or cup. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle this into the pan, stirring all the while. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove the thyme sprigs, add the meatballs, and cook at a low simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Divide into four equal portions and serve hot.
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