Turkey Meatballs in Pepper and Tomato Sauce with Tarhoňa

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the tarhoňa

   Heat 10 ml of oil in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, toast the tarhoňa for 2–3 minutes, until some of the pieces turn lightly golden. Pour in 560 ml of boiling water, add 3 g of salt, cover, and cook over the lowest heat for 12–14 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for another 5 minutes.

   
2. 2

   Shape and brown the meatballs

   Mix the ground turkey with the egg, breadcrumbs, 2 g of salt, black pepper, and half of the paprika. With damp hands, shape into 16 meatballs. Heat 10 ml of oil in a large frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides for 5–6 minutes, until they have a browned surface; then transfer them to a plate.

   
3. 3

   Make the sauce base

   Finely dice the onion and cut the bell pepper into small cubes. Add the remaining 10 ml of oil to the same pan and cook the onion and bell pepper over medium heat for 6–7 minutes, until the pepper softens but still holds its shape. Add the pressed garlic and the remaining paprika, stir, and cook for 30 seconds.

   
4. 4

   Finish cooking the meatballs in the sauce

   Pour in the passata and 150 ml of water, add the remaining 2 g of salt, and stir. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Return the browned meatballs to the pan, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10–12 minutes. When cut open, one meatball must be cooked through in the center; if using a thermometer, it should reach at least 74 °C.

   
5. 5

   Finish the sauce and serve

   In a bowl, stir the sour cream together with the lemon juice and two tablespoons of hot sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the sour cream mixture into the sauce to prevent it from curdling. Chop the parsley. Divide the tarhoňa among plates, add the meatballs and sauce, and sprinkle with parsley.