Ottolenghi Recipe: Stroganoff Meatball Pasta

Why ‘COMFORT’ Was My First Ottolenghi Book

This dish, “Stroganoff Meatball Pasta” marks my second submission for the #onebookthreerecipes challenge, hosted by the ever-inspiring Giorgio (@whennonnocooks) and Alessandra (@littleitaliancucina). This month’s theme nudged me gently into my first Ottolenghi cookbook purchase: COMFORT.

While I’ve admired Ottolenghi’s work from afar—his flavors bold, his ingredients sometimes hard-to-source in Southeast Asia—this particular book felt like a more natural gateway. COMFORT is about what its title suggests: the healing power of familiar food. And for a Japanese cook living abroad, away from the umami comforts of dashi and soy, this book offered a surprisingly warm hug. Not intimidating, but exciting. Not foreign, but welcoming.

Recipe Overview: Stroganoff Meatball Pasta, the Elevated Everyday

The moment I turned to page 210 and read the name Stroganoff Meatballs, I knew I had found my match. I am a lifelong meatball enthusiast. There’s something about their round, humble shape and the infinite ways you can season them that always draws me in. But this recipe offered more: not just another meatball, but one embedded in a sauce both nostalgic and sophisticated.

The creamy Stroganoff sauce—with its roots in Russian and Eastern European kitchens—was familiar. But Ottolenghi’s take added sparks: Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, lemon juice. Each of these elevated the dish beyond the expected.

Visual Guide to the Recipe

Ingredient list & Steps in Text

“Stroganoff Meatballs” – COMFORT
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Tara Wigley, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller (pg 210)

Ingredients (adjusted for home use):

• 500g minced beef (or beef/pork mix)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 tbsp panko (instead of day-old bread)
• 70ml whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (for frying)

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 200g mushrooms (brown/white/shiitake mix), sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 100ml brandy (instead of cognac)
• 250ml beef or chicken stock
• 150ml crème fraîche or sour cream
• Optional: thyme, chopped parsley for garnish

To Serve:

• 250g tagliatelle or egg noodles
• Fresh thyme or soft herbs
• Shaved parmesan (optional)

Steps Summary (with adjustments):

1. Mix minced meat with panko soaked in milk, onion, garlic, mustard, paprika, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Form into small balls and chill 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and brown the meatballs in batches until golden. Set aside.
3. In the same pan, melt butter. Sauté onion slowly until soft. Add garlic and mushrooms, cook until browned.
4. Stir in mustard, then deglaze with brandy. Let alcohol evaporate, add stock, simmer.
5. Return meatballs to pan. Simmer gently until cooked through.
6. Add crème fraîche and mix gently. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.
7. Boil pasta. Drain and mix with sauce or serve separately. Top with herbs.

The result? A rich and velvety bowl with bursts of spice and lemony lift. I especially loved how Dijon and lemon zest brought the whole dish alive.

Adaptations & Discoveries: Cooking in Singapore

As with any international recipe, substitutions were necessary. I dubbed them my #rinafications:

• Day-old white bread became Japanese panko.
• Banana shallots—a beautifully specific ingredient I didn’t have—were replaced with regular onions.
• No poppy seeds in my pantry (and none in the stores in Singapore, either), so I used black pepper instead.
• Fresh dill and pickles were left out in favor of a touch of thyme.
• Cognac? I used brandy.

I did pause to wonder: is a chestnut mushroom equivalent to what we call brown mushrooms here? I think so, but I’m not entirely sure. Either way, the dish turned out richly flavorful.

What Surprised Me Most

This recipe was full of tiny surprises that built into something generous and warming:

• The use of Dijon mustard in both the sauce and the meatballs made everything tangy and bright. It pulled the meat into sharper focus, made the creamy sauce more dynamic.
• Lemon juice added a refreshing lift, especially for a dish that could have felt heavy.
• The smoked paprika was subtle but lingering—less of a headline spice and more of a supporting actor, quietly adding dimension.
• The sauce wasn’t overpowering. It let the meatballs shine while still coating the pasta luxuriously.

Reflections & Resonance

Cooking this recipe reminded me that “comfort” means different things to different people—but flavor travels. Stroganoff is familiar, yet this version brought something utterly new: smokiness, brightness, the rich funk of browned mushrooms and tangy crème fraîche. It felt comforting and gently exciting.

While stirring the sauce, I couldn’t help but think of some Instagram friends who had posted their beautiful takes:
@pearler60, @marlein_de_visscher, @linacuisine2021 – your captions and images echoed in my mind as I cooked.

オットレンギ “コンフォート” ビーフストロガノフ風ミートボールのパスタ

先週に引き続き、オットレンギ（中東料理のブームを牽引してきた、英国を拠点とするイスラエル出身のシェフ）の新刊『COMFORT』からの一品。今回は、日本でも馴染みのある「ビーフストロガノフ」をベースにしたミートボールパスタのレシピを再現しました。

記憶では、昔お料理教室で教わったような気もしますが、材料の細部はすっかり忘れてしまっていて…。でもこのバージョンは、過去の記憶を軽く越えてくる、おいしさに満ちていました。

レシピには「前日の白パン」や「バナナシャロット」など、日本の家庭ではあまり見慣れない食材が登場しますが、私は代替として「パン粉」や「玉ねぎ」で対応。スモークパプリカやディルもなかったので、代わりに黒コショウやタイムを。

このレシピで最も印象的だったのは、「ディジョンマスタード」と「レモンジュース」の効果です。マスタードの香りが肉にもソースにも深みを与え、レモンが全体を軽やかにしてくれる。結果、濃厚なのに重くない、非常にバランスの取れた味わいとなりました。