Shida Kartli (Beef-wrapped Eggs in Tomato Sauce) is a traditional South Ossetian recipe for a classic dish of hard-boiled eggs half-coated in minced beef that are baked in a tomato sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South Ossetian version of: Beef-wrapped Eggs in Tomato Sauce (Shida Kartli).
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This is a traditional dish from South Ossetia where a hard-boiled egg is half coated in a minced beef mixture before being cooked in a tomato sauce.
Ingredients:
Ingredients for meat balls:
600g of minced beef
2 eggs
200g of white bread
1 tsp (level) of Summer Savoury
1 tsp (heaped) of black pepper
200ml of milk
4 tbsp of oil
10g of parsley
1 onion
salt, to taste
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Ingredients for sauce:
5 ripe tomatoes
40g of butter
1 tbsp (heaped) of white flour
10g of parsley
1 hot red chilli, sliced into very thin strips
1/2 tsp of freshly-ground black pepper
salt, to taste
Method:
Begin by preparing the meatballs: Add 200g of white bread to a mixing bowl. Pour over the 200ml of milk and allow the bread to soak for 2-3 minutes. Firmly squeeze the bread to remove all the excess milk. Add the soaked bread to a new mixing bowl, adding the 600g of minced beef, 2 eggs, Summer Savoury and black pepper, then season to taste with salt. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to combine.
finely chop the parsley and onion then add to the bowl with the meat mixture. Mix thoroughly to combine with the meat.
For the sauce, coarsely chop the tomatoes then add to a blender and process to a purée.
Set a heavy-based frying pan over low heat. Add the butter and cook until melted. Scatter over the flour and stir to combine, forming a roux. Cook this mixture, stirring, for 1 minute to slightly colour the mixture. Now, whilst beating constantly add in the puréed tomatoes. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes then add in the chopped parsley, chilli strips and half the black pepper. Season to taste with salt.
Stir everything to combine then continue cooking for 2 minutes more.
Divide the meat mixture into eight portions, shaping each one into a ball. Use your thumb to form an indentation in each ball of meat. Set the hard-boiled eggs base down in the meat mixture then shape the meat to cover the bottom half of each egg. Flatten the base then set the meat covered eggs evenly spaced in a lidded baking pan or casserole.
Pour 2/3 of the tomato mixture around the eggs then cover with a lid and transfer to the centre of an oven pre-heated to 180C. Bake for 30 minutes then add in the remaining tomato sauce. Return to the oven and continue cooking for 15 minutes more.
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