![Tiny Pancakes For Caviar](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/04/02/dining/caviarpancakes/caviarpancakes-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Summer Meatballs
![Summer Meatballs](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/03/21/dining/meatballs-still/meatballs-still-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2cloves garlic, peeled
- 1stalk celery, trimmed
- 1carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1tablespoon butter
- Salt
- 1teaspoon sugar
- 3cups passata (available at specialty food markets) or puréed canned tomatoes
- ½cup milk
- ½pound ground turkey
- ½pound ground pork
- 3tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
- 1garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 1large egg, lightly beaten
- ½cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
- ½cup finely chopped basil leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼cup toasted pine nuts
- ½cup chopped basil leaves
- 4 to 5whole basil leaves
For the Sauce
For the Meatballs
For the Garnish
Preparation
- Step 1
To prepare sauce: in bowl of a food processor, combine onion, garlic, celery, carrot and lemon zest. Process until minced. Place large saucepan or flameproof casserole over medium-low heat, and add oil and butter. Add minced vegetables and salt to taste. Sauté gently until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Add sugar, passata and 2 cups water. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Add milk, and cook, uncovered, 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, begin preparing meatballs.
- Step 3
To prepare meatballs: in a large bowl, combine ground turkey, ground pork, bread crumbs, garlic and egg; mix well. Add pecorino, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until thoroughly blended.
- Step 4
Line a large baking sheet with plastic wrap. Dampen hands with cold water, and roll rounded teaspoonfuls of meatball mixture, placing meatballs on sheet; there should be about 80. Add meatballs to simmering sauce, shaking pan gently to make room as they are dropped in; do not stir. Simmer, partly covered, until meat is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Step 5
To serve, transfer meatballs and sauce to a serving bowl, and sprinkle with pine nuts and whole basil leaves. Serve, if desired, with cooked rice, garnishing each serving with more pine nuts and chopped basil.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
as MB below, a crust on the meatball is esential.
i puree w hand held blender to smooth out sauce and then add meatballs.
I make larger meatballs, cook them up in a pan to form a nice crust. I use pesto or marinara. Good meatballs.
The meatball recipe doesn't really work on a number of levels (meat blend, seasoning, et al.), but the sauce is great. I make a different meatball, bake till partially cooked and browned on the bottom and a bit on the top (450 oven for 10 min) then cool and finish in the sauce (about 10 minutes) at a simmer just before serving. I remove them from the sauce and platter them, adding a chiffonade of basil and scattered chopped toasted pine nuts as the garnish. Sauce is served on the side.
This is a good recipe, loved the sauce. I didn't make any changes to the recipe. I only made larger meatballs and they cooked so tender in the sauce. Served the meatballs over rice.
So delicious! I loved the bright flavor and light meatballs in the creamy sauce. I honestly thought the recipe looked more complicated, but was surprised that everything came together in a cinch. I will definitely be making this one again.
What about baking the meatballs on a cookie sheet? Keep their shape and some of the fat renders out. Kids eat lots of meatballs around here!
Really loved this. I started late so needed to make it a little more quickly. Made slightly larger meatballs, and gently pan-fried them for a few while the sauce was simmering, and then dropped them into the sauce (with some of the pan drippings) for 5 - 10 minutes. The toasted pine nuts were perfection.
This is a good recipe, loved the sauce. I didn't make any changes to the recipe. I only made larger meatballs and they cooked so tender in the sauce. Served the meatballs over rice.
The meatball recipe doesn't really work on a number of levels (meat blend, seasoning, et al.), but the sauce is great. I make a different meatball, bake till partially cooked and browned on the bottom and a bit on the top (450 oven for 10 min) then cool and finish in the sauce (about 10 minutes) at a simmer just before serving. I remove them from the sauce and platter them, adding a chiffonade of basil and scattered chopped toasted pine nuts as the garnish. Sauce is served on the side.
I ran chopped tomatoes through a food mill for a passata. Sauce was delicious and small, uncrusted meatballs were well received.
I use panko crumbs and bison turkey and lamb meat all half pound.
as MB below, a crust on the meatball is esential.
i puree w hand held blender to smooth out sauce and then add meatballs.
I make larger meatballs, cook them up in a pan to form a nice crust. I use pesto or marinara. Good meatballs.
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