Scratch Turkey Italian Meatballs

I love meatballs. I cook them Swedish style and serve them with gravy. Make them from Italian sausage. And there are thousands of recipes on the web to make them any way you like. Well, in this post I’m going to a more classic style, well, in serving them. I’ll let them simmer in my own tomato sauce for a while, and serve them over pasta. So, this post is about scratch turkey Italian meatballs, they are really good.

One of the most important steps of cooking anything is time. Whenever ingredients are mixed, they need time to rest before cooking. The spices we use are dehydrated, they need time to rehydrate and for their flavors to permeate the food. For the same reason I coat my ribs or brisket the night before cooking. While cooking, the flavors need time to come together. It’s not by chance that slow cooker food tastes so damn good. Each ingredient item brings a flavor to the recipe, but those flavors need time to spread throughout the dish. So that what you’re serving becomes more that just the sum of it’s parts.

And, after cooking they need resting time, to settle before serving. Meat needs resting time after cooking to reabsorb some of the liquid it lost, and the heat to equalize. Italian food needs time to rest after cooking for the cheese to cool somewhat, and thicken a bit. So, time is very important.

The idea of making a ball of anything and cooking it is not new. Not just meat either. Falafel, balls made from ground chick peas, fried and served in pita bread is delicious. But, back to the meatballs. Meatballs have been around for thousands of years. They’re mentioned in ancient Chinese cookbooks, also from Persia and, in turn the Romans. You can see the slow migration from the far east to southern Europe. The ingredients were lamb, beef, fowl or whatever meat was commonly found in the region. The meat would be mixed with other ingredients like eggs, breadcrumbs, spices. They could be cooked in so many ways, boiled, baked, braised, the options are endless.

In this particular recipe I mix ground turkey, spices and breadcrumbs. I use turkey because I like the flavor and it’s healthier than red meat. Adding breadcrumbs is twofold. Firstly it helps to thicken up the meat mix, so it will form and hold the meatball shape. But, also, the breadcrumbs will absorb some of the liquid created during the cooking process, this keeps the flavor in the meatball. That being said, the meatball will impart some of it’s flavor to the sauce it’s being cooked in.

That is a good way to introduce the sauce. A simple sauce, garlic, tomato sauce and basil, allowed to simmer a while, hearty and flavorsome. Finely chop the garlic, preheat a pan over medium heat, add olive oil, when hot add the garlic. Let this simmer for a few minutes to soften and release its flavors. Now add the tomato sauce and herbs, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and let simmer while the meatballs are assembled.

So, lets build the meatballs. 8oz of ground turkey and 1/2 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs is a good base. The seasoned breadcrumbs bring some flavor. Add garlic powder, oregano and parsley. And, for a little warmth, some ground red pepper flakes. Just a dash, a little goes a long way. Knowing when and how much ground red pepper flakes to add is something that comes with time. I’ve said a little goes a long way, but, you also have to take into consideration the rest of the ingredients. If cheese or milk product is a major part of the recipe, you can add a little more because the milk will offset the capsaicin in the pepper flakes. Just remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take any away, so add just a little and taste.

This recipe will produce 8 meatballs, about golf ball size. Once the meatballs are made, preheat a pan over medium heat, add olive oil, when hot add the meatballs. The idea is to brown off the outsides a bit, it will add to the flavor. Once they’re ready pour the tomato sauce over them, bring to a boil, lower to simmer, cover and wait. This is the most important part. All the flavors will have a chance to mingle, and time is the only thing that can allow that to happen. Simmer for at least 1/2 hr.

Serve over the pasta of your choice, garnish with parsley and fresh grated parmesan. That’s it, enjoy scratch turkey Italian meatballs, thank you for reading