Dinner at Home: Meatballs Strogonoff

Tonight we made meatballs using some of the mushrooms, creme fraiche, and short rib reduction leftover from my Valentine's Day meal. This was one of the first meals Ian and I cooked together that actually ended up being collaborative and didn't cause us to get into an argument over how much of which ingredients to add. That is, until Ian took the pan out of the oven and left the handle sticking out, causing me to burn my left pinkie :-( In any case, the meal was really good. I combined organic beef from Trader Joe's, parmigianno reggiano, onions, parsley, bread crumbs, garlic, and a touch of half and half, formed it into balls and stuffed them each with a chunk of Gouda cheese. We seared them on all sides, removed them from the pan and then used the pan to cook the mushrooms, red wine, short rib reduction, and a little chicken stock with more onions and garlic. We put the meatballs back in the pan, finished them in the oven, and then stirred in the creme fraiche. We ate them with grilled and garlic rubbed crusty bread, which also came from Trader Joe's. A sprinkling of chives made it picture ready for the blog!

Tip: We also had a salad with the fantastic remoulade dressing from Lola's restaurant. A side of dressing from a good restaurant that you ate at earlier in the week is great to keep on hand for another meal at home.

Tonight's Food Rating: 8
Would we make it again: ONLY IF IAN MAKES SHORT RIBS AGAIN, YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS DISH AS GOOD WITHOUT THAT RICH REDUCTION