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Forest Glade with Hedgehog Meatballs and Rainbow Rice - photo 1
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Forest Glade with Hedgehog Meatballs and Rainbow Rice

Kids' Lunches Main dishes For Kids 60 min Medium 4 wyświetleń ~40.11 PLN - (0)
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Description

This extraordinary dish is a true culinary adventure, created especially for the youngest gourmets. 'Forest Glade' is a composition that transforms an ordinary meal into a magical story. The heart of the dish is tender, juicy turkey meatballs, shaped like adorable hedgehogs with 'spines' made of rice grains. They are simmered in a velvety, mild tomato sauce, which serves as the 'forest floor'. The hedgehogs rest on a 'rainbow glade' of fluffy rice, naturally colored with turmeric, spinach, and beet juice, which not only delights the eye but also sneaks valuable nutrients into the child's diet. The whole is complemented by 'trees' made of crunchy broccoli florets. The dish is not only appetizing and colorful but also balanced – providing protein, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins. It's the perfect way to encourage a picky eater to enjoy food and show that healthy meals can be a fascinating fun.

Składniki (17)

Servings:
4
  • Ground turkey 500 g
  • Onion 0.5 szt.
  • Breadcrumbs 40 g
  • Egg 1 szt.
  • Milk 3.2% 45 ml
  • Basmati rice (for skewers) 30 g
  • Long-grain rice (for the clearing) 300 g
  • Broccoli 500 g
  • Tomato passata 400 g
  • Fresh spinach 50 g
  • Sok z buraka 45 ml
  • Rapeseed oil 30 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Ground turmeric 0.6 łyżeczka
  • Salt 0.1 szczypt
  • Ground black pepper 1 szczypta
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Pieprz czarny w ziarnach 2 g
  • 30% cream 50 ml
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~40.11 PLN (10.03 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Hedgehog Meatballs

1

Start by preparing the meat mixture. Peel the onion and grate it on the finest grater or blend it in a food processor until smooth. This way, it will be undetectable for children. In a large bowl, place the ground meat, grated onion, breadcrumbs, crack in the egg, and pour in the milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients: Ground turkey, Onion, Breadcrumbs, Egg, Milk 3.2%, Salt, Ground black pepper
Use a large bowl so the ingredients fit comfortably and are easy to mix. Grating the onion instead of chopping it is key to achieving a smooth consistency of the mixture, which is important in dishes for children.
2

Now it's time to knead the mixture. Using your hands (preferably in disposable gloves) or a sturdy wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients thoroughly until the mixture is uniform and compact. Knead for about 2-3 minutes, making scooping motions from the bottom of the bowl upwards. The finished mixture should easily come away from the sides of the bowl.

Do not knead the mixture too long, as the meatballs may become tough. The goal is just to combine the ingredients. If the mixture seems too loose, add another tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
3

Prepare a small bowl of water to moisten your hands and a flat plate to spread out the dry basmati rice. Take portions of the meat mixture (about 1.5 tablespoons) and shape them in your moistened hands into a drop-like shape or a small pear - this will be the body of the hedgehog. Then, coat the wider part of the 'body' in the dry rice, gently pressing it in. The rice grains should embed into the meat and stick out like spikes. Place the formed hedgehogs on a cutting board.

Ingredients: Basmati rice (for skewers)
Moistening your hands with water prevents the meat from sticking, making it much easier to shape. Do not coat the 'snout' of the hedgehog in rice, only its 'back'.
4

If you are using peppercorns, gently press two peppercorns into the eye sockets and one at the tip of the 'snout' to create a nose. Do this for each hedgehog. This is a step you can involve children in.

Ingredients: Pieprz czarny w ziarnach
Be careful to press the grains well into the meat, otherwise they may fall out while frying. Remember to warn children about eating the hard peppercorns during the meal.
5

In a large non-stick skillet, heat rapeseed oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot (you can check by dropping in a grain of rice - it should sizzle), carefully place the meatballs in the skillet. Fry them in batches for about 5-7 minutes, gently turning with tongs until they are evenly browned on all sides. They do not need to be fully cooked inside, as they will finish cooking in the sauce later. Transfer the fried meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil
Do not place too many meatballs in the pan at once, as this will lower the oil temperature and they will start to cook instead of fry. Use tongs to turn them, not a fork, to avoid damaging the 'spikes'.

Rainbow Rice

6

In a medium pot, bring 600 ml of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the long-grain rice, stir once, reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the pot, and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until the rice has absorbed all the water. Do not lift the lid during cooking. After cooking, remove from heat and let it sit covered for another 5 minutes.

Ingredients: Long-grain rice (for the clearing), Salt
The key to fluffy rice is the right water ratio (usually 2:1 by volume water to rice) and not stirring it while cooking. Letting the rice 'steam' after cooking will make it perfectly fluffy.
7

While the rice is cooking, prepare the natural dyes. Place the spinach leaves in a cup of a hand blender with 2 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth, creating a green puree. Prepare turmeric and beet juice in separate small bowls.

Ingredients: Fresh spinach, Ground turmeric, Sok z buraka
If you don't have a blender, you can finely chop the spinach and mash it in a mortar with a little water. The smoother the consistency of the puree, the more evenly the rice will be colored.
8

When the rice is ready and slightly cooled, divide it into three equal parts into three separate bowls. Add turmeric to the first bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork until the rice takes on a uniform yellow color. Add spinach puree to the second bowl and mix until a green color is achieved. Pour beet juice into the third bowl and mix until it turns pink. Stir each portion gently to avoid breaking the grains.

You can adjust the amount of dye to your desired color intensity. Remember that each dye adds a subtle flavor, so don't overdo it. Mix with a fork, 'fluffing' the rice rather than mashing it with a spoon.

Sauce and Broccoli

9

Wash the broccoli and cut it into small florets, resembling miniature trees. In a small pot, bring water with a pinch of salt to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 3-4 minutes (blanching). They should be slightly firm (al dente) and have a vibrant green color. Drain them immediately in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and preserve the color.

Ingredients: Broccoli
Don't overcook the broccoli! They should remain crunchy and firm. Shocking them in cold water is a key trick to keep their beautiful, vibrant color, which is important for the visual effect of the dish.
10

In the same pan where the meatballs were fried, pour in the tomato passata. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the tasty bits stuck to the bottom from frying the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.

Ingredients: Tomato passata, Salt, Ground black pepper
Using the same pan is a technique called 'deglazing' - it allows you to extract all the flavor from the bottom of the vessel and enrich the sauce with it. This way, the sauce will have a deeper, meaty aroma.
11

When the sauce starts to gently bubble, reduce the heat to the minimum. Carefully transfer the browned meatballs into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer everything for about 15-20 minutes. During this time, the meat inside will cook through, and the rice 'spikes' will soften and swell. If you are using cream, add it in the last 2 minutes of cooking and gently stir.

Ingredients: 30% cream
Make sure the meatballs are at least halfway submerged in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a few tablespoons of water. Do not stir too vigorously to avoid breaking the hedgehogs.

Dish Composition

12

It's time to create a forest scene. Sprinkle colorful rice on each plate to create a vibrant clearing. You can arrange the colors next to each other, create patterns, or simply mix them to achieve a rainbow mosaic effect.

It's best to use large, flat plates that give you space to creatively arrange all the elements. This is a great moment to re-engage the kids in preparing the meal.
13

On a rice clearing, carefully place 2-3 warm meatball hedgehogs per serving. Around them, 'plant' broccoli florets by inserting their stems into the rice so they stand upright like trees. Finally, drizzle a bit of tomato sauce around the hedgehogs, creating a 'forest floor'. Serve immediately.

Encourage your child to create their own forest landscape on the plate. Food that can be assembled by themselves tastes much better!

Fun Fact

💡

Natural food colorings, such as turmeric or beet juice, have been used for thousands of years, not only for food but also for dyeing fabrics and for ceremonial purposes. Creating 'rainbow' food is a great way to show children the magic of nature in the kitchen!

Best for

Obiad dla niejadka Przyjęcie urodzinowe dla dzieci Kreatywny posiłek rodzinny Dzień Dziecka

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the dish on large, flat plates to have space to create the entire forest scene. Encourage children to help 'plant' broccoli trees and arrange the rice meadow. You can also add 'stones' made from cooked chickpeas or 'flowers' from cut-out shapes of cooked carrots.

🥡 Storage

Meatballs in sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Rice is best stored separately, also in a closed container. To reheat, warm the meatballs with the sauce over low heat in a pot, and sprinkle the rice with a little water and heat it in the microwave or on a skillet to regain its fluffiness.

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