Bitterballen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy saucepan for simmering beef
• •Wide shallow dish for chilling ragout
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Heavy deep pan or fryer
• •Small scoop or scale for even portions

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the beef

   Put the beef, stock or water, onion, bay leaf, and cloves in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat and let it murmur gently for about two hours, until the beef pulls apart with a fork. Lift out the meat, strain and reserve 500ml of the cooking liquid, and shred the beef very finely. Big chunks make clumsy bitterballen; the ragout should hold together like a secret.

2. 2

   Make the roux

   Melt the butter in a heavy pan and cook the minced shallot for two minutes without browning. Stir in the 70g flour and cook for three to four minutes, until it smells nutty and looks sandy. This is where the raw flour taste leaves the house, for obvious reasons.

3. 3

   Build the ragout

   Add the reserved hot cooking liquid in small splashes, stirring hard after each addition until smooth. When all the liquid is in, cook the sauce for another few minutes until very thick. Stir in the shredded beef, mustard, nutmeg, mace, parsley, salt, and pepper. If using gelatine, squeeze it dry and stir it into the hot ragout until dissolved; it helps the chilled filling behave, especially in a warm kitchen.

   The ragout should be much thicker than a sauce, closer to a paste that drops slowly from the spoon. If it flows, cook it longer. A bitterbal begins by being stubborn.
4. 4

   Chill until firm

   Spread the ragout in a shallow dish, press parchment directly onto the surface, and refrigerate for at least three hours, preferably overnight. This rest is not decorative. Cold ragout rolls cleanly, stays round, and does not try to escape the crumbs in the fryer.

5. 5

   Shape the balls

   Scoop the chilled ragout into portions of about 25g each and roll them into balls with lightly damp hands. Set them on a tray. If the mixture softens while you work, return it to the refrigerator for fifteen minutes and let cold do what impatience cannot.

6. 6

   Bread them twice

   Set out three bowls: flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs. Roll each ball in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. For a proper café crust, pass each one through egg and breadcrumbs a second time. The double coat is not fussiness; it is the wall that keeps the ragout inside until your teeth arrive.

7. 7

   Fry until crisp

   Heat the oil to 180C in a deep pan. Fry the bitterballen in small batches for three to four minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp all over. Do not crowd the pan, because the oil temperature will fall and the crust will drink oil instead of sealing. Drain on kitchen paper and let them stand for two minutes before serving.

8. 8

   Serve with mustard

   Serve the bitterballen hot with Dutch mustard beside them and napkins within reach. Warn your guests once, then leave them to history. The centre will be hotter than anyone believes, and this lesson has been repeated in Dutch cafés for generations.

Chef Tips

• •Use beef shin or chuck if you can. Lean steak gives you dryness and pride, neither of which belongs in a bitterbal.
• •Freshly grate the nutmeg. The jarred powder has already told most of its story before you open it.
• •Keep the oil at 180C and fry in small batches. Too cool and the crust turns greasy; too hot and the outside browns before the centre is properly loose.
• •Serve with sharp Dutch mustard, not a sweet one. The mustard cuts the richness and reminds the bitterbal it was born beside a glass.

Advance Preparation

• •The ragout is best made the day before and chilled overnight.
• •Breaded bitterballen can be frozen on a tray, then stored in a bag for up to one month. Fry from frozen at 175C for five to six minutes.
• •Cooked bitterballen are best eaten at once; reheating softens the crust, which is a small tragedy but not a crime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 43g)