Meatballs aren’t found solely in Italian cuisine.
Many cultures serve ground meat formed into balls or other shapes, and the meat involved won’t necessary be beef. Chicken, turkey, lamb, and pork all make great foundations for meatballs, and there are many flavourings you can use. The following guidelines will help your meatballs to turn out juicy and delicious:
1) Use meat that contains a generous percentage of fat; very lean meat equals dry, dry, dry meatballs.
2) Handle the meat as little as possible when mixing the ingredients; overworking it will result in meatballs with an unpleasant, pasty texture.
3) Be liberal with seasonings, especially salt and pepper. I’ve made many a batch of meatballs that ended up being bland due to lack of salt. A good idea is to fry a small portion of your meat mixture once you think you’ve seasoned it correctly then taste it. Chances are you’ll need to add more salt and/or pepper.
4) Don’t overcook the meatballs. Bake or fry them until they’re just cooked through. Overcooked means dry.
5) Use a small ice-cream style scoop to make your meatballs. These are quite inexpensive to buy at cookware stores and they’re great for making evenly sized cookies as well as meatballs.
Lebanese Meatballs
These are good served with couscous as a main dish, or served as an appetizer.
8 oz ground beef
8 oz ground lamb
1 egg, beaten
½ cup fresh bread crumbs (make some in a food processor as a good way to use up leftover bread)
½ finely crumbled goat cheese or feta
½ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp finely chopped mint
1 tsp ground cumin
A pinch each of ground cinnamon and ground allspice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil for browning
Toasted pine nuts for garnish
For the yogurt sauce:
2 cups plain yogurt (I prefer to use Greek yogurt with a higher fat content, but 2% is OK)
¼ cup tahini (optional)
½ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt to taste
To make the meatballs: place all ingredients except the olive oil and pine nuts into a large bowl. Very gently combine the ingredients thoroughly. The less you handle the mixture the more tender the meatballs will be. Form mixture into small balls (about golf-ball size) and set on a plate. Meatballs can be refrigerated until you’re ready to cook them. Preheat oven to 350º F.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in batches, turning them once or twice in the pan. Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until cooked through. To make the sauce, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl; thin with a little milk if it seems too thick. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. Serve the meatballs with the sauce and a few pine nuts for garnish. Makes four servings.
Source: theviewfromgreatisland.com
Saucy Asian Appetizer Meatballs
1 lb each ground pork and ground beef
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp minced garlic
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
Toasted sesame seeds to garnish
2 eggs
Asian Sauce
2⁄3 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, gently mix together meatball ingredients (except sesame seeds) until well combined. Shape into 1½-inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet or in a 9x13- inch baking dish. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until meatballs are golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.
While the meatballs are baking, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once meatballs have finished cooking, place them into a serving dish and pour the sauce over top. Stir gently until meatballs are coated with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm with toothpicks alongside for spearing.
Source: gimmesomeoven.com
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
1 lb chicken (or turkey) sausage, removed from casings
¾ cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use more or less according to taste)
2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup marinara sauce, purchased or homemade
½ lb fresh mozzarella, cut into small thin slices
Cooked pasta and additional heated marinara sauce for serving
Preheat oven to 350° F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the first 11 ingredients (sausage through egg). Form mixture into one-inch balls and place on baking sheet; bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Spoon about one tablespoon of marinara sauce over each meatball then place a small thin slice of mozzarella on top of each one.
Return to oven and cook for another five minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over pasta with additional marinara sauce. Makes six servings.
Source: flavormosaic.com
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
