The comfort of meatballs
In the movie “Zelig”, Woody Allen plays an ordinary person who can transform himself to imitate anyone he is near. Meatballs have that same chameleon ability.
Just about every country creates some kind of minced meat rolled into a sphere, such as albóndiga (Spanish); keftédes (Greek) svenska kottbullar (Sweden), Bun Cha (Vietnam), köfta (Indian subcontinent and Middle East). It’s not only a love of eating meat. Meatballs allow the cook to stretch a small amount of protein, often with the addition of bread or rice, seasoned with local spices and flavors, into feeding the whole family. Formed into patties, they can be baked, grilled, or pan-fried in extra virgin olive oil.
But, how does something so simple magically change its ethnicity? One example is meatballs from Kashmir, the disputed region between Pakistan and India, uses ground lamb and a roster of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves that sounds more like dessert than a main course. But Bun Cha, a street food from Hanoi, uses pork seasoned with garlic, fish sauce and scallions, and rolled into small balls that are then caramelized and served in broth with noodles. Both are meatballs but like Leonard Zelig, they miraculously became Kashmir or Vietnamese, depending on what recipe they’re in.
Some historians say the first mention of rolled minced meat is the Chinese recipe "Four Joy Meatballs” in the Shandong province during the Qin dynasty (221 BC to 20 BC). In Western Europe, the collection of ancient Roman recipes compiled in “Apicius” during the 1st century AD included many minced meat/meatball-type recipes. The earliest known Arabic cookbooks feature seasoned lamb rolled into balls and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. Over the years, meatballs have changed, but not by much. They have always been popular with the working class, no matter what the country.
Here are three meatball dishes that are “Zelig” like, matching whatever nationality you want to taste today.
Greek Lamb Meatballs
Makes about 2 dozen. Use as an appetizer or enjoy with a salad (Greek, of course)
1 ½ pounds minced lamb (you need some fat to keep it moist when it cooks, so don’t buy the leanest lamb)
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons bread crumbs (I use panko bread since I already have it handy)
2 cups (2-3 large) finely chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons dried mint
1 tablespoon (roughly 16 leaves) of finely chopped basil
½ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon ouzu This is an anise-flavored liquor produced from grape must (the remnants of wine-making) You probably know someone who has a bottle you can borrow.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, blend together with your hands the meat, egg, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, herbs and ouzu. Work mixture until everything is well blended. Use a tablespoon to form patties about 2 inches wide. It helps to make them an hour or so ahead and chill in the refrigerator.
While you’re waiting, preheat grill.
Once the white ash has formed on the coals, place meat patties on the grill and cook for five minutes or so then flip to the other side another four minutes or more, depending on the heat. They should still be juicy on the inside.
Meatballs with Coriander and Cinnamon from Kashmir
Serves 4
Adapted from “The Silk Road Gourmet” by Laura Kelley
As often happens in food from Indian/Pakistan, there is a long list of spices but the dish is not hot; it’s all about the complexity of flavors.
1 pound ground lamb
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons plain, full fat yogurt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as peanut oil
2 inch stick cinnamon
5 whole cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
1 cup water
Combine the lamb, ginger, cumin, coriander, cloves, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne, salt and 3 tablespoons of the yogurt in bowl. Mix completely and set aside for at least an hour to allow for the flavors to infuse the meat.
Wet your hands with cold water and form meatballs about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and, when hot, add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and whole cloves. Stir for 2-3 minutes to warm the spices, allowing them to infuse the oil with their flavors
Add meatballs and sauté them on a medium-high heat until they are lightly brown on all sides. Then, combine the remaining yogurt with the one cup water and pour this over the meatballs and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes, turning the meatballs once about half way through. When the meatballs are done, remove them and place in a wide bowl. Continue to reduce the sauce (if sauce remains thin, mix a little cornstarch with some of the sauce in ramekin and pour back in the pan to thicken). When a sauce consistency, remove whole spices and pour over meatballs and serve with rice and a vegetable curry.
Neapolitan Meatballs with Ragù
Serves 6
My wife and I spent three days in Naples a few years ago, on our way from Rome to the Amalfi Coast. While I focused on experiencing as much of the city’s soft, thin pizza as I could, we did have one meal with tender meatballs served in a simple tomato ragù, no pasta in sight. The whole spaghetti and meatballs thing was created by Italian-Americans, we were told. As poor Italian immigrants became American middle-class, they couldn’t believe they had become so wealthy that they could have pasta AND meatballs with gravy (ragù)! But, they could, so they did.
1 pound ground pork shoulder (you can make this with only beef but I think two types of meat create a better flavor)
1 pound ground beef (buy whatever blend has the most fat)
4 ounces pancetta, ground (or process in the food processor)
8 ounces panko breadcrumbs
1 cup of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2 tablespoons fresh ricotta, drained
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup whole milk
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
Handful fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Block of pecorino Romano cheese for grating
Your best extra-virgin olive oil for finishing
Preheat oven to 400 Fº. Coat 1 rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef and pancetta, parsley, 1 tablespoon of salt, oregano, fennel, and chile flakes and mix with your hands until all of the ingredients are well mixed.
In a separate bowl, whisk the ricotta, eggs and milk until almost smooth. Add ricotta mixture to the ground meat and mix with your hands until well incorporated. Form into golf-ball size spheres and place on prepared baking pan. I've found that putting the uncooked meatballs in the refrigerator for at least a half hour lets the fat set up and keep their round shape better than cooking them immediately. You can lightly cover them with plastic wrap and finish the next day. When you are ready, bake, for about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan at the half way mark for even baking. Bake until surface is brown, and then remove.
Lower oven temperature to 300°F. Salt the tomatoes and either pass through a food mill or use the old fashion way of empting the can into a large bowl and pushing each tomato below the surface and squeezing them into small pieces. (Pro tip: always wear an apron if you do this) Pack the meatballs into a roasting pan and pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs. Cover with aluminum foil and braise the meatballs in the tomatoes for about 1 hour.
When ready to serve, ladle a few meatballs with some sauce into each bowl. Shower cheese over the top, add a splash of olive oil and finish with a sprinkling of sliced basil.