Meatball Cookbook Bible by Ellen Brown

Author:Ellen Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cider Mill Press

Sicilian Meatballs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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Active time: 20 minutes

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Start to finish: 45 minutes

VARIATION

Substitute ground chicken or turkey for all or parts of the meats used above. I do not suggest making them with all sausage meat, however, because the texture will be too lumpy.

The use of pine nuts and dried currants is characteristic of Sicilian cuisine; it comes from the Arabic influence from North Africa sustained in the region. The combination of Italian sausage and ground pork, with vegetables and herbs, is joined by these two special ingredients in these meatballs.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 small red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/2 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3 tablespoons dried currants

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3/4 pound ground pork

1/2 pound sweet or spicy bulk Italian sausage

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups Herbed Tomato Sauce or purchased marinara sauce

Vegetable oil spray

1. Preheat the oven broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Combine egg and milk in a mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add breadcrumbs, Parmesan, pine nuts, currants, oregano, and parsley, and mix well.

3. Add onion mixture, pork, and sausage, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well again. Make mixture into 11/2-inch meatballs, and arrange meatballs on the prepared pan. Spray tops of meatballs with vegetable oil spray.

4. Broil meatballs 6 inches from the broiler element, turning them with tongs to brown all sides. While meatballs brown, heat Herbed Tomato Sauce in the skillet in which the vegetables were cooked.

5. Remove meatballs from the baking pan with a slotted spoon, and add meatballs to sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer meatballs, covered, over low heat, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon, for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Note: The meatball mixture can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Also, the dish can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat in a 350°F oven, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot.

Pine nuts are called piñon in Spanish and pignoli in Italian, and they are sometimes found by those names in ethnic markets where they are generally less expensive. The nuts are located inside the pinecones of various species of evergreen, and to remove them the pine cones must be heated, and then the nuts, which are in thin shells, are pulled out by hand. This labor-intensive method is why they are so expensive.

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