meatballs – Gastography

Spring Greens & Meatballs

June 13, 2015June 11, 2015RecipesLeave a Comment

Picture it: Brooklyn, 2015. Obama is in the White House, Congress is ineffectual, the whole Northeast is tottering between Spring and Summer, and I forgot how to change gears rapidly when the grocery store is out of the ingredients I want for dinner.

This dinner was basically me playing Chopped the home game one night, when a Thursday hit and I realized I had only about half of the required items for the dinner I had planned on making, but had not really come up with a solid B plan. So I played. And it worked! Go, hours of watching cooking shows on television!

Gluten-free, paleo

Spring Greens & Meatballs

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1.5 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt & black pepper
1 wedge preserved lemon
2 tsp. aged balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp. curry powder
1.5 tsp. baking soda mixed with 1 tsp. warm water
2 ounces double smoked bacon
1 leek
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. rosemary
1 c. frozen peas
1 Tbsp. unsalted grass fed butter
6 ounces baby spinach

First, make your meatballs. Add the ground beef to a large bowl. Pick and chop 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/5 tsp. rosemary. Add to the meat. Grate 1 clove garlic and add. Add 1 big pinch of Kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper. Dice the preserved lemon and add 2 tsp., reserving the rest. Add the balsamic vinegar, curry powder and baking soda slurry. Mix and form into ping pong ball sized meatballs. Add to a large pan over medium heat and brown on all sides.

While your meatballs are cooking, cook your greens. First, chop your bacon and add to a pan over medium heat. While the bacon is working, wash and halve the leek and cut into thin half moons. Slice the second clove of garlic and chop the last 1 tsp. thyme and 2 tsp. rosemary. Add to the pan when the bacon is half rendered. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is getting soft and browned in spots. Add the peas and stir, letting cook for a few minutes. Add the butter and stir, letting melt. Add the rest of the preserved lemon (about 1 tsp.) and half the spinach and stir until wilted. Add the rest of the spinach and wilt.

Serves 2 for a light dinner, with meatballs leftover for lunch

Caramelized Onion Meatballs

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015RecipesLeave a Comment

This is based on a recipe posted by one of my Nerd Fitness Whole 30 partners in crime – Fonzico. Her version adds cauliflower and egg as a meatball binder (think breadcrumbs and egg in “regular” meatballs) and sounds delicious as well. I couldn’t find cauliflower at the store this week, so made these balls using my general method.

And they came out well. A little sweet from the onions, moist and light from the added ingredients and pretty perfect atop a pile of zoodles drizzled with some nice aged balsamic vinegar. As reported by the hubbs, they are also good with leftover baked ziti.

Gluten-free, paleo, Whole 30

Caramelized Onion Meatballs

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. water
1 Tbsp. ghee
Salt & pepper

First, we’ve got to knock those onions out. Peel and dice your onion and add to a medium-high pan with the ghee. Sauté until just beginning to brown, bring the heat to low, and let go about 45 minutes (stirring every once in awhile) or until the onions are sticky, broken down and a deep caramel color – if your pan gets too dry at any time, add a little water and stir. Let cool.

Preheat your oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients, making sure to not overmix. Form into ping pong sized meatballs, placing the finished balls on the sheet as you go.

Bake 25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Serve with zoodles & balsamic for a simple dinner. Makes enough for 2-3.

Lemon Ginger Thai Meatballs (paleo)

July 6, 2013October 24, 2013Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

I’m glad I kept those aging stalks of lemongrass in the crisper drawer. They’ve been there, silent, like an accusation, for weeks. I finally found a vehicle for their tender lemony brightness – meatballs. Specifically, Thai inspired meatballs. The lemon works well here, balancing the fish sauce and providing a nice bridge for ginger’s blustery heat. If you do not have access to lemongrass, a bit of zest would work; just don’t go crazy with it. A teaspoon or so should do.

My attempt to ‘sex up’ meatballs.

Lemon Ginger Thai Meatballs
1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce
1.5 Tbsp. fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. cilantro
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 lb. grass fed ground beef
2 stalks lemongrass
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
Fat of Choice (if you make this salad as a side, bacon fat is a fantastic fat to use)

Mince your ginger and cilantro. Add to a bowl with the beef, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, and coconut aminos. Bash the lemongrass with the back of your knife to get the goodness out – chop and add to the bowl.

Form little ping pong sized balls and fry in fat of choice over medium heat until browned. Flip and brown.

Makes about 14 balls, enough to serve 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.

Chipotle Lime Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Potato Fries (paleo)

May 5, 2013October 18, 2013Life, Recipes1 Comment

These meatballs are intoxicating. I first made them the week before leaving for a long vacation, and managed to think about them almost every day during my absence – even in the face of exciting new foods. That’s the kind of power these meatballs have over me. I’ve made them with the egg and cheese and without; and both ways are spectacular. These are also great in chicken if turkey is unavailable.

Chipotle Lime Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Potato Fries

Adapted from Chipotle Dijon Turkey Meatballs from Slim Palate

for the meatballs

1 pound ground turkey (dark meat is best if you can find it)
1 Tbsp. chipotle powder
2 Tbsp. dried cilantro
2 Tbsp. grainy dijon mustard (I use Maille)
3 Tbsp. freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan (optional)
2 tsp. sriracha (optional but oh-so-tasty)
1 egg
3 cloves minced garlic
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp. grapeseed or coconut oil
Salt & pepper

for the sweet potato fries

2 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 per person)
1/2 palm cumin
1/2 palm hungarian hot paprika
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp. grapeseed or coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Aluminum foil can also be used, but will result in less-crispy fries which may stick.

Peel the potatoes and slice into fry shapes by halving widthwise and slicing into 1/4 inch thick batons. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheet (grabbing a second if you need it) and sprinkle with the oil and spices. Toss to coat, sprinkle with salt & pepper and spread into a single layer on the sheet. Pop into the oven and bake 15 minutes. Flip the fries (and rotate your pans if necessary) and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisped around the edges.

While your fries are working, add all the meatball ingredients but the oil (and only half the lime juice) to a medium bowl and mix until well combined (by hand works best).

Warm the oil in your largest skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Once the oil is up to temperature; quickly form golfball sized meatballs, dropping them into the pan as you go. The mix will be quite wet – that’s ok. It all works out in the end. You will wind up with 12-13 meatballs. If you have more than will fit in your pan without touching, whip out a second pan to take care of the rest.

Sautee until browned on one side and flip, cooking until browned on the other and firm to the touch. You don’t want to move these bad boys around too much or they tend to stick and fall apart. If you treat them delicately and only turn once, you will end up with some very lovely balls.

When done, transfer to a plate and sprinkle with the remaining lime juice; dust with chipotle and serve alongside the fries.

Have you seen my recipe for tomato jam yet? It goes with these fries fantastically.

Serves 2 for dinner with a serving of meatballs leftover for lunch.

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