Meatballs:
- 1-1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 slices of bread, torn into small
bits (stale bread is fine)
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (or 1/2 cup
water mixed with 1/3 cup dry milk
powder)
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH nutmeg & garlic
powder
Gravy:
- 1/3 cup fat from the cooked
meatballs (above)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth (made with 2
1/2 cups tap water and 3 bouillon cubes
is fine)
- 1 cup evaporated milk or 1 cup of
water combined with 2/3 cup instant dry
milk powder
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH black pepper and
dill
- Salt to taste (usually 1/4 teaspoon,
but it depends on the saltiness of your
broth or bouillon)
- 12 to 16 ounces of egg noodles,
cooked and drained
Start off by making the meatballs.
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a
big bowl. Mix and mash everything together
until it is thoroughly mixed. The nutmeg is
the secret ingredient in the meatballs.
Shape the mixture into small balls, the size
of a walnut. Some people fry these on top of
the stove for about 20 minutes, turning them
frequently. I prefer to bake them. Arrange
the meat balls in a 9 by 13 inch rectangular
baking dish and bake them at 375° for about
20 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, boil up
your egg noodles as directed on the package.
Drain well.
When the meatballs are well cooked, remove
them from the oven. Place them on some paper
towels to drain. Now, here is the tricky
part, carefully drain the hot fat from the
pan into a heat resistant glass, or metal
measuring cup. You will need 1/3 cup of fat
for the next step. If you have more than 1/3
cup, discard any extra. If you don't quite
have 1/3 cup you can make it up with bacon
grease, or oil, or shortening.
Heat the fat in a 3 quart size sauce pan.
When it is melted, whisk in the flour. Be
sure to get rid of any lumps. Quickly stir
in the evaporated milk and beef broth (or
tap water and bouillon cubes). Mix and stir
a lot, so the mixture won't stick to the
bottom of your pan. Add the pepper and dill
as you stir. The dill is the secret
ingredient in the gravy. Add salt if you
think you need it. Bring the mixture to a
boil and boil for a full minute, or until
the gravy is nice and thick. Add the drained
meatballs to the sauce.
Scoop a big ladle full of noodles onto your
plate. Add several meatballs and plenty of
gravy. Serve with a simple vegetable like
broccoli, or steamed carrots. Add a dessert
of apple crisp for a real winner of a meal.
Serves 6 amply.
This is a very old recipe from at least the
40's. A version of it used to appear on the
backs of cans of evaporated milk. A large
can of evaporated milk is just enough to
complete the recipe. If you are out of
evaporated milk though, or if you never buy
it, you may use the dry milk powder
variation. It is very good either way.
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