Pork Meatballs in Creamy Tomato Sauce That Never Fall Apart

Step-by-step recipe

1. Thaw the meat for the meatballs ahead of time.
   
2. Pick all the leaves off the dill and parsley sprigs and discard the stems. Peel the garlic and onion.
   
3. Blitz the onion, garlic, herbs, 1/2 tsp coriander, salt and pepper together (a blender is very handy here). You want a paste that isn't too thick.
   
4. Rinse the meat, remove any bones and membranes, and put it through the meat grinder twice! Three times is even better!
   
5. Mix the ground meat with the herb and onion paste, add 1 tsp vegetable oil and mix everything thoroughly.
   
6. Next, so the meatballs don't fall apart while cooking, you need to add a little bread. Usually people use white bread soaked in milk or water. But it's better to add 1-1.5 tbsp of grated stale white bread. Knead everything thoroughly once more.
   
7. I judge whether the mixture is kneaded enough very simply: it doesn't stick to your hands, and you can gather it into a ball that barely smears the bowl.
   
8. Wetting your hands with cold water now and then, roll the mixture into balls. Each meatball weighs about 25 g. 500-600 g of ground meat makes 20-24 meatballs.
   
9. Pour the vegetable oil into a frying pan and set it over the heat. While the pan heats up, dredge the meatballs in flour and place them in the pan.
   
10. Now the important part: fry the meatballs until golden brown. It's best done over high heat, turning them constantly. Browning matters, because it decides whether you end up with meatballs or shapeless mince in sauce.
    
11. After browning, turn the heat down to medium or even a bit lower. From here you don't have to turn each one, just stir them like frying potatoes.
12. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring, then add the cream and 1 tbsp tomato paste. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of tomato paste, so I add half a cup of tomato juice instead.
13. Stir everything and add boiling water from the kettle so the sauce the meatballs simmer in has the consistency of store-bought kefir (like thin buttermilk).
    
14. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time. The sauce should thicken a little as it cooks. If needed, you can take the lid off and turn up the heat to cook off the extra liquid.
15. Potatoes, rice and buckwheat all make a great side dish. So whether you eat them with rice or with potatoes is up to you.
16. It's best to serve them in a separate dish with the sauce they were simmered in. You can also put them over the side dish and pour the sauce on top. But always serve them hot and freshly made.