The Lexingtonienne

August25th

5 Comments

meatballs

Hubba Bubba and I are doing a 5K this Saturday. Something tells me he’s going to finish in about half the time I do — he’s a very fast runner who also happens not to be 5 1/2 months pregnant.

onion

onion

See, I am merely interested in finishing the 5K, a very attainable goal since it’s easy to walk out your front door and just walk three miles. Any running I do will be a bonus. So I don’t care if I eat cheeseburgers all week.

garlic

garlic

Mike, on the other hand, wants to do really well. This involves not only training, but also eating well and sleeping well in preparation. So last night he did not have a specific dinner request other than that I make something “healthy.”

carrot

carrot

When a Southern gal like me gets a request for a “healthy” dinner, she’s at a bit of a loss. That generally means no or very little butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon, or any of those delicious “simple” carbohydrates. (Simple carbs for simple people I guess.) Talk about a head scratcher.

parsley

parsley

Knowing the basic formula for “healthy” dinner — lean protein and vegetables — I decided on turkey meatballs. This is mildly dangerous territory for a Medigan, making my Italian husband a dish for which he has specific expectations and for which I have very little training.

meatballs

meatballs

But I reminded myself that since I am married to an Italian, I am Italian-in-law. And I have been to Italy twice. Certainly that’s not nothing. Remember how Julia Child would tell us that we just needed a little courage in the kitchen? I told myself to proceed with confidence and all would go well.

breadcrumbs&parm

meatballs

meatballs

And you know what? It worked. 🙂 I also armed myself to defend my carrot decision. The Philadelphia Italians do not put grated carrot into their meatballs. Medigans, however, are unrestricted by the laws of tradition and can take such liberties. Besides, I have to sneak vegetables to my kid, who would rather have ice cream and bubble gum for dinner.

meatballs

And Mike loved it. Carrot and all. I think if these turkey meatballs got his stamp of approval, they’ll get yours too. 🙂

meatballs

meatballs

Julia Child was right. You just need a little courage. And speaking of courage, I’ll let y’all know how this 5K goes on Saturday.

meatball

TURKEY MEATBALLS
1 package lean ground turkey
1/2 large onion (or 1 small onion), finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 eggs
1/3 C (give or take) Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2-3 T (give or take) grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil & canola oil
1/2 C chicken broth
Tomato sauce*

*I used my new favorite recipe for this, which is very, very easy. I put all the ingredients into a pot and let the sauce cook while I prepared everything else. You could also use jarred sauce.

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil to coat. Add onions and saute until clear. Lower heat and add garlic, cooking until fragrant. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly while you grate your carrot and chop your parsley. In a large bowl, combine turkey, onion & garlic, carrot, parsley, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan, and salt & pepper. Use your fingers to thoroughly mix. Roll into meatballs in any size you want. (I scored my turkey mixture into four quadrants, then rolled each quadrant into two large meatballs for a total of eight meatballs, with a bonus “runt of the litter” left over.)

Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add canola oil to coat. (This temperature is too hot for olive oil, which will smoke.) Add meatballs and allow to brown on one side for several minutes before turning over. Once meatballs are browned on all sides, transfer them to a plate and set aside. (They will not be all the way cooked through at this point.) Add chicken broth to the hot pan and scrape the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon. This will get up the brown bits. Reduce chicken broth for about 3 minutes until it thickens, then return meatballs to the pan.

Add tomato sauce, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan and garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

I served mine with sauteed zucchini and whole wheat pasta, although you do not need the pasta. Turkey meatballs can stand courageously on their own.

xoxo,
Hannah

5 Comments

  • Comment by Jenny Lind — August 25, 2010 @ 1:19 pm

    I sat down to eat my lunch and check fb. My lunch consisted of TURKEY MEATBALLS from Huckleberry, carrots and all. Weird. And wonderful. Yours look incredible, as always. Hannahberry. I must try this “cooking” lark one day. xxxxx

  • Comment by Tim — August 25, 2010 @ 8:48 pm

    i’ve heard a lot about this controversial blog and now, after reading this post, i understand the controversy. CARROTS? good god. we are not related.

    : )

  • Comment by Hannilou — August 25, 2010 @ 10:15 pm

    My meatballs have more vitamins than yours 🙂

  • Comment by Jayne — August 26, 2010 @ 6:31 am

    Hannah,

    Your blog is making my mouth water. Esp. this recipe. Thanks for posting such enticing recipes so novice cooks like myself have a jumping off point. I keep reminding myself I need to start small instead of trying to make one of your delicious looking cakes or whole meals! Wishing you all the best with your new addition.

  • Comment by Maggie — August 26, 2010 @ 6:13 pm

    Bill…your dear father in law…..is CRYING over the thought of carrots in meatballs…..can you hear and feel Gram spinning in her grave???…..what do i know…I’m Irish !!!

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