Tomato Frikkadelle (Meatballs)

Bokenpop aka Madeleine's Note:

There is one prerequisite for frikkadelle which is that they be soft and juicy just like my mom's. This recipe does justice to this! The frikkadelle can be made smaller if so desired.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 7

• 4 medium tomatoes
• 2 large onions
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 kg minced beef
• ½ cup oatmeal
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 ml pepper
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons soup mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Peel tomatoes and onions and chop roughly.
3. Braise in oil until soft.
4. Mix half tomato and onion mix with mince and oatmeal.
5. Add milk, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix well.
6. Shape 14 large frikkadelle from the mixture and place them close together in a shallow ovenproof dish.
7. Mix the water and soup powder and pour this over the frikkadelle.
8. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
9. Spoon the remaining onion and tomato mixture over the frikkadelle and continue baking until nicely browned on the top.

Reviews

[Zurie]

Well, it was clear to me that, if this your mom's recipe, she was a cook after my own heart: fast and simple! I didn't change a thing. I used everything exactly as stipulated. The (raw) end result was a mixture which felt just right. I was a little worried about the lack of egg and spices -- an egg to bind the mixture, and maybe more seasoning. I used fresh ripe tomatoes, but while they fried with the onions I did add a small teaspoon of sugar, because cooked tomatoes can be acidic whether ripe or not. This would be 5 star, except -- the cooking time given is too long. After 40 minutes the meatballs were starting to dry out at the tops. I did not dare try to "brown" when adding the remaining onion-tomato mixture, as the sauce had already reduced to almost nothing. I'd advise, if you want sauce, to double the amount given in the recipe. Also, as this was made for the Ground Meat Sept 08 feature in the Photo forum, I made them in the day for dinner that night, so I could have decent daylight to photograph the recipe. When I first tasted the meatballs I thought there was way too little seasoning. However, when warmed up later, the flavour had developed, and they were great!!! I'd say, make ahead, double the sauce, and heat up again! Thanks, Bokenpop!!

[Cathy Billingham]

Very good. I cheated and used a can of tomato and onion mix but ended up with too sloshy a dish.The flavour was still really good so I know it can only be better done the way described. I will also try grating some cheese on top next time, which I reckon will go down really well. Thanks for sharing.

[Jewelies]

What a great recipe. Both my small daughters really enjoyed this and have asked for it to be made often in our house. The meatballs were extremely moist and melt in the mouth tender plus the oats really made it a filling meal. For any Kiwis/Aussies out there I used a packet of maggi onion soup mix as the 'soup mix'. The recipe is very quick to throw together. I zapped my onions in the microwave in a bit of oil and used a large tin of tomatoes in place of the tomatoes listed. Served over mashed potatoes. Thanks Bokenpop for a wonderful keeper :)