Parjoale - Romanian Meatballs

Parjoale really means 'burger', but they are perfect made as meatballs. This recipe comes from the Moldovan region of Romania, where virtually every household will have a slightly different recipe for this dish.

Parjoale are very tasty and since they can be eaten both hot and cold, they are ideal for parties and picnics. As a hot dinner, they go nicely with mash potatoes (Romanians love mash!) and homemade tomato sauce.

For 3-4 people, you will need:

• 400g minced beef
• ½ onion, grated
• ½ carrot, grated
• ½ pepper, finely chopped
• 1 stock cube (or 1 tsp Knorr or other powdered condiment)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• parsley and dill, either freshly chopped or dried
• Pepper

In a small pan place the onion, carrot, pepper and 3 spoons of water, cover and let them sweat for about 10 minutes on a very low heat.

When the vegetables are soft, take them off the heat and leave them to cool down for a while, before adding them to the meat together with the egg, flour, crushed garlic, herbs, crushed stock cube and pepper. Combine everything well and then divide the mixture into small ball shapes.

Heat 3-4 spoons of oil in a frying pan and cook the meatballs on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, turning them a few times to get them brown all around.

Some Pictures

The raw mixture:

Softening the vegetables:

Shaping the meatballs:

The final act before eating: