Jewish Sicilian Chicken Meatballs
AKA CHICKEN CRACK
This dish pays homage to the lost Jewish heritage of Sicily. In the Middle Ages, the vibrant merchant posts of southern Italy and Sicily were part of the Spanish Empire, and hundreds of thousands of Jewish merchants lived there, trading, studying Torah, and complaining about the humidity. These Jews traded with Arab and North African neighbors, adopting elements of their cuisine.
But in 1492, while Columbus was sailing the ocean blue, Spain instituted its infamous Inquisition, forcing all Jews in its empire to convert or to leave. Nowadays, there are few Jews in Sicily, but there is a sense among many Sicilians that they’re Jew-ish. I’ve spent a lot of time in Sicily and have met too many look-alikes of my Jewish friends to chalk it up to coincidence. Several Sicilians have told me that they know they’re ancestrally Jewish, even if they have no proof. Time to order some genetic testing kits, ragazzi!
Regardless, the Jews of Sicily, via their Arab trading partners, have left their mark on Italian food. The combination of raisins and capers, the salty jewel of Sicilian gastronomy, is emblematic of its Jewish roots. And, although, to my knowledge, nobody in Sicily actually makes meatballs out of chicken, in my American Ashkenazi mind, using chicken makes them that much more Jewish.
These meatballs can make wonderful appetizers as well. I like to serve them with a caramelized onion jam. They’re delicious right out the pan, at room temperature, or as cold leftovers. But be warned: you may find it very difficult to stop eating this highly addictive Chicken Crack.
Be sure to use salt-packed Sicilian capers and only dark meat chicken!
Makes 40 1-inch meatballs
INGREDIENTS
For the jam:
2 Tablespoons fennel seeds
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or duck fat
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Rosemary-Balsamic Reduction or store-bought balsamic glaze
For the meatballs:
2 pounds ground dark meat chicken
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick stems removed
2⁄3 cup dark raisins, soaked in warm water
3 Tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for garnishing
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
40 to 60 grinds of your pepper mill
Microgreens, optional
Pomegranate seeds, optional
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the jam:
Grind the fennel seeds finely in a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, place in a Ziploc bag and pound them with the back of a wooden spoon until ground.
Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the olive oil, followed by the onions and the fennel, stir, and cook until they are dark golden brown, about 25 minutes. Add the balsamic and cook for a final few minutes until bubbly.
Add all the ingredients to the food processor and bring to a puree.
Prepare the meatballs:
Allow the chicken to come to room temperature, and place it in a large mixing bowl.
Add the quartered onion to a food processor and pulse into very finely chopped pieces. Be careful not to turn the onion into a puree. Add to the chicken.
Drain raisins. Add the parsley, raisins, and capers to the food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Add to the chicken.
Throw in the salt and mix up the chicken so it’s completely amalgamated. Let rest a good 30 minutes.
Form 1-inch meatballs, I like a rustic look, so my meatballs are not perfectly rounded. I think they taste better!
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat for a few minutes.
Add about two tablespoons of olive oil, enough to cover pan. Carefully drop in the first batch of meatballs, making sure they don’t touch each other.
Cook each side 3 to 5 minutes until they are cooked on the inside and well browned on the outside. Remove the meatballs from the pan, and set them on a paper towel to drain. Grind pepper generously over the meatballs, and give an extra sprinkle of salt.
Add more oil to the hot pan and repeat with the next batch.
Plate the meatballs and top with a touch of onion jam. Garnish with the microgreens and pomegranate seeds, if using.
Note: Any leftover fennel onion jam is ideal for a cheese board or a leftover steak sandwich. Store in the fridge indefinitely.
Make-Ahead Prep: You can make the meat mixture in advance and either refrigerate or freeze it in an airtight container or Ziplock baggies. Just bring it to room temp before cooking. You can also cook the meatballs in advance. They are wonderful at room temperature. Or to reheat, place them in a covered “pouch” made out of aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes at 350°F.