January 8, 2011 Turkey Meatballs

Turkey Meatballs

This recipe was adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Marcella’s Italian Kitchen.  Her books aren’t the glossy, gorgeously photographed cookbooks we are used to today.  Her books are authentic, well written and give great results every time.   In her recipe she uses pork instead of turkey and quite a bit more parmesan- an ingredient my husband dislikes, so I use just a touch.  These taste just like the meatballs my Nonna used to make.  We called her la Regina di Polpetti, or Queen of the Meatballs.  She passed the title down to my mom who taught us that meatballs could be just as good without the beef and pork!

• ¼ C. milk, warmed
• 2 slices good white sandwich bread- crusts removed
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. fresh parsley, minced
• 1/8 C. grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper
• 3 T. flour
• 1 T. olive oil

In a small bowl, combine the warm milk and bread.  Allow the bread to soak up the milk for a few minutes.  Gently squeeze out any excess milk.  Put the soaked bread into a large bowl with the garlic, ground turkey, parsley, cheese, egg, salt, and pepper.  Combine with a fork, or with your hands.  Roll the meatballs with wet hands- it keeps the mixture from sticking to your fingers.  The secret to great meatballs is to roll them in flour before cooking.  A great trick I use for this is to put the flour into a mesh strainer and roll the meatballs around.  It creates just a light even dusting of flour on the meatballs and the curve of the mesh strainer helps to keep them nice and round. 

To cook the meatballs, heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Place the meatballs in the skillet and brown on all sides.  About 1-2 minutes per side.  At this point you can check for doneness and eat them plain, or add your favorite tomato sauce and simmer them in the sauce while you cook your pasta.  The meatballs flavor the sauce so well you hardly need to add any other seasonings.

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