 |
Of course, there's no single type of meatball in the Indian subcontinent, which offers so many amazing varieties of traditions, flavors and preparations. In general, it's safe to say that many traditional versions of these meatballs use lamb or mutton. ...
Top Autos Find A Car sell your car You forgot to enter your search term. Wednesday, August 24, 2011|Greensboro, North Carolina 84° Feels Like:
You may think spaghetti and meatballs is Italian, but it's actually purely American. The perfect meatball needs the right ratio of meat to bread, plenty of seasoning, a good sear and a good sauce. Each layer of flavor has to hold its own.
You may think spaghetti and meatballs is Italian, but it's actually purely American. The perfect meatball needs the right ratio of meat to bread, plenty of seasoning, a good sear and a good sauce. Each layer of flavor has to hold its own. Credit:
By any name ? and whether they're made with beef, pork, chicken, lamb, fish or crustaceans ? these are tasty, bite-sized bits of comfort.
Throughout the world, different cultures make some type of ground or minced meat that's usually mixed with a filler and spices. Most often, they're the centerpiece of a dish, served in some type of sauce and with a starch. Think of the Italian-American spaghetti and meatballs or Mexican albondigas in a tomato-chipotle sauce and corn tortillas. No matter the culture, meatballs offer a way to stretch a limited amount of meat and have become a staple of a home cook's repertoire.
Why we love it: In this culinary tradition, there are two main styles of meatballs. One type fills a steaming bowl of pho, while a different version is grilled and served on skewers or in a banh mi, the beloved Vietnamese sandwich. In soup, they're hearty, dense and slightly chewy. The grilled version offers a contrast of the slightly charred exterior with the tender inside.
The meatball that goes in the soup, or bo vien, is usually some type of mixture of beef, potato starch, garlic, fish sauce and some other good ingredients that are combined into a ball and steamed. When they're in a bowl of pho with some fresh bean sprouts, cilantro and jalapenos, they work together quite well.
The grilled version, or nem nuong, often uses finely ground pork with garlic, fish sauce, and some other ingredients. This type of meatball often uses the char as another element of flavor and texture. Whether on skewers or in sandwiches, they're usually pretty special.
How to make them: If you're handy with fish sauce and potato starch or rice starch, these don't look that difficult, but there's the matter of getting the right texture. This is one that's going to take some more recipe testing, especially for the grilled version. I'll report back later. In the meantime, leave these to the professionals.
Why we love them: The best-known and most common form of meatballs are those that go with and red sauce and spaghetti. Even though they have their roots in Italy, this version that so many of us know and love is a piece of classic Americana. But it's their presence on menus all over the place that make the good ones special.
Even though they're ubiquitous, the difference between a boring and sublime meatball is a matter of balance. The meatball needs to have the right ratio of meat to bread, enough seasoning to be interesting, a good sear and a good sauce to go with it. Each layer of flavor has to hold its own or else the meatball will seem flat.
How to make them: Check out this recipe from the legendary Carmine's of New York, a place where more is never enough. It may be one of the most involved and intense meatball recipes ever. My wife and I made them a few years ago for a Christmas Eve gathering. It didn't prevent some silly family drama, but it did make the memories from that night much more pleasant.
Why we love them: In different Latin American traditions and in Spain, they're all called albondigas, even if the ingredients and flavors are different.
One version of classic albondigas in Mexico features ground beef mixed with a little white rice and some gentle spices and it's cooked in a broth of tomatoes and chipotles. It shouldn't be too spicy, but it does pack a little bite. Some versions of albondigas will add a little hard-cooked egg in the middle as a little surprise for the diner, and that's just another layer of flavor and texture.
Then there's also the sopa de albondigas, a mixture of chicken broth, diced vegetables such as zucchini or some other type of squash, freshly diced tomatoes and jalapenos and the meatballs. On a cool day, it's a very comforting soup.
Then there are the different versions from Spain, whether they include lamb or pork. The Spanish albondigas are a classic tapa, and make for simple recipes packed with flavor.
How to make them: We're including a simple recipe for the Spanish version. This garlicky recipe uses pork with a quick dredge in flour and egg wash before frying them, and it yields a clean, outstanding flavor.
Why we love them: In different varieties of Indian cuisines, meat or vegetable balls, or kofta, are bits of complex flavors in sauces that come together for an even more memorable whole.
Of course, there's no single type of meatball in the Indian subcontinent, which offers so many amazing varieties of traditions, flavors and preparations. In general, it's safe to say that many traditional versions of these meatballs use lamb or mutton.
When they don't use meat, these little balls use a mixture of mashed potatoes with other vegetables, to create a wonderfully complex fritter that many people call a vegetarian meatball. Quite honestly, these kofta are so tasty that they're really not much of a meat alternative but instead a great dish that happens not to include meat.
How to make them: Honestly, the best recipes include ingredients such as garam masala, turmeric, cumin seeds, yogurt and ghee (clarified butter). Rather than give an overly simplified recipe, we'll share some excellent and detailed kofta recipes in an upcoming issue of Taste.
Why we love them: They're a little different throughout the cultures of this region. The Persian type differs from the Moroccan, as well as from the Hebrew, Turkish, Greek and from Central Asia, and from the Indian and Pakistani versions.
A couple of personal favorites around town came from the late and very much lamented Shiraz restaurant, which served Persian cuisine for more than a decade, and from Moroccan Bites, which serves a wonderful kefta tagine.
In the tagine, the lamb meatballs often include spices such as cinnamon and paprika and that mixture is cooked in a tomato-based sauce. The slow, even cooking of the tagine adds more layers of depth and richness to the flavor. Served with some Moroccan bread or a generous scoop of couscous, it's a homey dish that induces happiness.
How to make them: Instead of searching in our recipe archive, we're including on mySA.com a Persian version from the former Shiraz restaurant that owner Rashin Mazaheri shared with the Express-News a few years ago. It's not too difficult and it's a good one.
1. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix together the beef, veal and eggs. Add bread crumbs, parsley, basil, salt, garlic and pepper and mix well. Tear bread into pieces and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add milk and let it sit for 5 to 7 minutes or until milk is nearly absorbed. Add bread to meat and use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix it well. Stir in grated cheese. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until meat mixture is firm.
2. Using an ice cream scoop, remove chunks of meat and roll them between dampened palms into meatballs, each weighing about 3 ounces. Refrigerate meatballs for at least 10 minutes before proceeding with recipe.
3. To saute meatballs, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add meatballs and cook them for about 10 minutes, turning them until they are browned on all sides.
4. Transfer them to a platter and set them aside. In same pan, heat remaining teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute them for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are browned.
5. Meanwhile, in a pot large enough to hold meatballs, heat marinara sauce over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until sauce starts to boil. Stir in onions and garlic. Add browned meatballs and any accumulated juices and cook them over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Do not cover them while cooking. Remove them from heat and set them aside for about 45 minutes or until they have had ample time to mellow and the flavors of sauce and meat intermingle. To store meatballs, let them cool in sauce. Transfer them to a tightly lidded storage container and refrigerate them for up to 1 week or freeze them for up to 1 month.
Nutrition information for one serving: 440 calories (56.8 percent calories from fat), 27 g fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 2,010 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, 22 g protein.
2. Reserve tomato liquid. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and cook it, stirring for about 5 minutes or until it is golden brown. If garlic starts to cook too quickly, reduce heat. Add basil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Cook mixture for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, increase heat to high, and cook them for about 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon or long-handled fork to break them up, or until the tomatoes boil. Reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 10 minutes or until tomatoes break down. Add reserved tomato liquid. Increase heat to high and bring sauce to a boil. Boil it for about 12 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Stir it occasionally and scrape bottom of the pan to prevent sauce from burning. Transfer sauce to a bowl and set it aside for about 1 hour or until it cools to room temperature. Transfer to a tightly covered storage container and refrigerate it for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 1 month.
2. Form into 1-inch balls, then roll them in flour. Heat oil, at least ½ inch deep, to the smoking point. Dip meatballs in remaining beaten egg and place directly in hot oil. Lower heat and fry slowly until well browned on all sides and cooked through.
Nutrition information for 1 serving (without frying oil): 25 calories (28.8 percent calories from fat), 1 g fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, 3 g protein.
Nutrition for 1 tablespoon of oil used for frying: 120 calories (100 percent calories from fat), 14 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, 0 g protein.
2. Add cheese, garlic, parsley and oregano and pulse mixture until bread crumbs are finely ground. Season bread crumbs to taste with salt and pepper and pulse mixture just to mix in seasonings. Use bread crumbs immediately or refrigerate them in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
View More: Central Asia, Christmas Eve, Cup Olive Oil, Express-News, Food Processor, Heat Oil, Hospitality_Recreation, Hot Oil, Italy, Mary Goodbody, Metal Blade, Mexico, Michael Ronis, New York, Oil, Olive Oil, Penelope Casas, Rashin Mazaheri, Shiraz Restaurant, Spain, Squash, St.