Turkey (Or Any Meat) Balls

meatballs.jpg

Italians think turkey meatballs are ridiculous. “Basta!” they say, “Meatballs are supposed to be made of meat!”

I get it. Americans substitute turkey for beef to be healthy, but then we go ahead and eat three times the Italian portion size, so we’re still fatter than them. “Just eat the meat!” they demand.

Here’s my excuse: I made these turkey meatballs after I took a blood-type allergy test that barred beef and chicken, but permitted turkey. So for three months, I made everything out of turkey. There were some failed experiments. You’ll notice you don’t see my turkey gelato in this book. But the turkey meatballs were a hit.

I make my turkey meatballs with the same care, fresh herbs, tomato sauce, and wine as I would make any succulent Italian meat dish. I don’t add any bread or bread crumbs because one, they’re not needed, and two, wheat our is no good for allergies, mine or anyone else’s. As a result, my turkey meatballs may not hold their shape as perfect balls—the bottoms flatten out in the oven as they cook—but nobody ever notices, and imperfect shapes mean better flavor.

I’m back to eating meat, but one thing I will not eat are turkey meatballs that taste like they were made in a health food store. These are definitely not those!

Serves 6 

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:

  • 1 onion, quartered

  • 1 garlic clove, quartered

  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick stems removed

  • 2 pounds dark meat ground turkey (you may substitute

  • up to 1 pound with white meat)

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 20 to 30 grinds of the pepper mill

  • 1⁄4 of a whole nutmeg, grated 

  • 2 eggs

  • Extra-virgin olive oil

For the sauce:

  • 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch rounds

  • 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1⁄2 large onion, finely chopped

  • 1⁄2 to 1 cup red wine

  • One (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

  • 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 handful fresh basil, with stems

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the meatballs:

  1. Preheat the oven to 500°F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

  2. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley to a food processor, and pulse until it’s almost a pulp.

  3. Combine the onion mixture with the turkey, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and eggs in a mixing bowl.

  4. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 ½ to 2-inch meatballs and place them on the baking sheet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil.

  5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops have begun to brown and the shape holds. It’s ok if they are still a bit raw inside at this point. (Don’t freak out at all the white gunk that seeps out of the meatball. It is the juice from the onion. We will use it in the sauce!)

Prepare the sauce:

  1. Add the carrot and celery to a food processor and pulse until it’s in tiny, tiny pieces, but not mushed. Alternatively, chop by hand.

  2. Place a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and let it get hot for a couple of minutes. Add the olive oil to the pan.

  3. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and onions. This is called a soffritto in Italian. Cook for about 8 minutes or longer.

  4. Carefully add the meatballs to the pan, scooching the soffritto aside.

  5. Pour in the wine, the tomatoes, and a good sprinkling of salt.

  6. Add the basil leaves, pushing them into the sauce so they are covered.

  7. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes.

  8. If the sauce is watery, uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Let the liquid evaporate until the sauce is more condensed.

  9. Serve and enjoy!

Variations for Kids: 

The wine will cook off, but for flavor reasons you might want to substitute chicken broth. 

You can add a couple of handfuls of chopped baby spinach or grated zucchini into the meat mixture.

Elana Horwich