Meatballs

I've been making meatballs for more than 20 years now. I learned from my first wife who learned from her mother. I've made a few adjustments over the years and for the first time have written down a recipe so I can produce the same result consistently.

I often had a problem with the meatballs falling apart. The secret is the right amount of binder (eggs and bread crumbs), but I also found it helped to omit chopped onions and use onion powder or granules instead.

There are 66 cute little meatballs cooking as I write.

Italian Meatballs recipe

4 pounds chopped beef, 85% lean
2 tablespoons onion granules or powder
2 tablespoons garlic granules or powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 large eggs
1 cup fine bread crumbs

Combine all ingredients well in a large bowl. Use your hands!

This recipe assumes you have lots of tomato sauce going -- I would make a smooth sauce using two 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes or puree. You just need to get it started simmering.

Roll into balls. I like them about 1-1/2" diameter.

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the balls on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Do them in shifts. For this size ball, about a dozen in a large pan at a time is good. Turn them gently with a tablespoon.

Gently lower the balls into the sauce and cook for at least an hour, preferably up to two hours so that meatballs are infused with the tomato flavor. I've had meatballs at too many Italian joints that were not cooked in the sauce, but only covered with it.

Too many leftovers? Freeze them!

Poor Man's Veal Piccata

Still being creative with chopped meat, I bought a pound of chopped veal last week. I've typically avoided veal due to concerns about treatment of the animals, but I trust Whole Foods' policy (they won't sell lobsters any more, which I don't agree with, but it is indicative they are concerned about the creatures).

As chopped meat goes, it ain't cheap -- I think it was $8.99/pound, but still cheaper than any other cut of veal. Now, what to do? I looked up recipes for Veal Piccata and found one on the Food Network site by Emeril Lagasse. It worked beautifully with just a few adjustments. The sauce is lemony and intense. I served with pasta tossed in butter and olive oil flavored with a little garlic powder, which cut through the pungency of the veal sauce.

Do not be tempted to substitute chopped beef. This requires a delicately flavored meat. I could see chopped chicken as a possibility.


Poor Man's Veal Piccata recipe

1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 pound chopped veal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 lemon, juiced

In a shallow bowl combine the flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Divide the veal into four sections and form into patties as thin as possible without them falling apart. Dredge the patties in the flour mix, being sure to coat thoroughly and then shaking gently to remove excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of the butter. When it has melted, gently add the patties to the frying pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, without burning, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits. When the wine has been reduced by half, add the chicken stock, chopped garlic and lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, remaining 3-1/2 tablespoons of butter and the parsley.

If by the time the butter has melted the sauce has not begun to thicken, whisk in some of the leftover flour mix, perhaps a teaspoon, and then maybe one more if needed. Be careful not to overdo this.

Return the patties to the pan and cook until heated through, turning of desired, about one minute. Serve immediately, spooning sauce over each patty.

Mmmm, Turkey Burgers!

My wife injured several of her teeth, and while recovering from root canals, her ability to chew is limited, so I've been expanding my range of things made with chopped meat. I've never been a fan of chopped turkey, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

So I bought some chopped turkey, started experimenting, and have come up with a recipe for burgers that we all really like! I first bought the meat from a typical supermarket, but found that they often add flavorings and water. It worked OK, but I prefer the meat I can buy at Whole Foods, and I mix equal portions of white and dark meat at a combined price of about $5/pound.

Curried Turkey Burgers recipe

1 pound chopped turkey meat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules (or powder)
1 teaspoon onion granules (or powder)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup panko*
1 egg

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well (I use my hands, same as with meat loaf) and form into 4 patties. Grill or saute as you would hamburgers. I haven't measured the time it takes, but I think it takes longer than pure beefburgers. I suggest using an instant-read meat thermometer and after cooking 4-5 minutes per side, take the temperature. You're looking for 165 degrees.

*Panko is a Japanese form of bread crumbs, available at Asian groceries. You can substitute other bread crumbs, but make them as fine as possible.